From: Clauss, Chris To: A16.A16(RM-8653) Date: 7/22/95 6:15am Subject: Please approve Petition RM8653 Before the FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20554 In the Matter of ) ) Allocation of Spectrum in the 5 GHz Band ) RM-8653 To Establish a Wireless Component of the ) National Information Infrastructure ) In the Matter of ) ) Petition for Rulemaking to Allocate ) RM-8648 the 5.1 - 5.35 GHz Band and Adopt ) Service Rules for a Shared Unlicensed ) Personal Radio Network ) I would like to express my interest in seeing Petition RM-8653 approved. I would also like to ask that Petition RM-8648 be rejected by the FCC. It is my belief that the public would be well served by the allocation of a small part of the huge broadcast spectrum for use by private citizens, schools, and other organizations as described in Petition RM-8653. Modern communications have the power to improve the way we live, work, play, and learn. In many ways the airwaves have become as important a natural resource as the air we breath and the water we drink. Airwaves are an vital part of our environment and a portion should be reserved for private citizen and education data use. Public access networks will empower our citizens and schools and dramaticly improve US competitivness in the global economy. I have spent the last seven years working with K-12 schools throughout New York state to implement modern telecommunications and networking technologies. My goal has been to improve the way that students learn by helping them to use and understand the modern technologies which are changing our society in so many dramatic ways. I have witnessed first hand the powerful and benefitial effect that computational and communications tools have had on the learning process. Students become energetic and active learners when they utilize computer and telecommunications technologies in their studies. They take more pride in their work when they are colaborating with others and they learn to have more empathy with students who are different from themselves. The success of Internet in K-12 clearly demonstrates that pervasive communications helps students to learn more as well as become more understanding of others. We need to get Internet tools into the hands of our students as quickly as we can. Existing cable and telephone companies have done little to foster a better education environment in American public schools. Even in 1995, most classrooms do not have telephones or televisions. Every single business in America has a phone and yet very few classrooms do. I find that I have to act as "translator" for schools when they discuss data communications with telcos and cable operators. These organizations are so focused on arcane technical details and services that they are of little help to the schools in understanding how data communications can improve the learning process. School teachers and administrators across the country are spending an inordinate amount of time attempting to learn how to cope with and acquire data services from the telco and cable companies. This is time that would be much better spent providing students with a better education. An open wireless data communications infrastructure would allow teachers and administrators to connect their schools together and increase colaboration without having to waste valuable time learning telco and cable TV technologies and procedures. Please let the free market do what it does best - provide powerful and cheap technology to consumers. Petition RM-8648 must be rejected because it seeks to increase the strangle hold that telcos and cable operators have on schools. These organizations have not improved eduation in the past and further enhancement of their already considerable power would be a major step backwords for education reform in this country. In contrast, public education would be greatly enhanced if Petition RM-8653 is approved. The market would quickly create inexpensive yet powerful wireless hardware which would be much easier for schools to understand and implement without the cost of high priced datacomm consultants and service fees. Schools are already underfunded for the vital work that we ask them to perform. We have a moral obligation to give our students the best education that we possibly can and to give schools the tools needed to make them successful. Please act now to improve students' access to the important technologies of the future. This will greatly enhance the learning process and provide us with students that are more likely to be successful when moving into the business world. We have the opportunity to get the advantages of modern technology into the hands of our students. Please approve Petition RM-8653 and reject Petition RM-8648 for the sake of our kids and to improve the USA's competitivness in the global economy. Thank you for your careful consideration of this vital matter, Christian C. Clauss 87 Willowick Drive Fairport, NY 14450 716/248-4323 clauss1@applelink.apple.com CC: Lovette, James