For Immediate Release
Wednesday, April 12, 2000

Contact: Ranjit de Silva
(202) 482-7002
Art Brodsky
(202) 482-0019

Washington- The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will hold an organizational meeting for industry representatives interested in the Wireless Innovations in Communications Initiative (WICI). WICI is an NTIA initiative designed to enable the federal government to promote more actively innovation in the development and use of new communications technologies. Specific goals of the WICI are to identify new wireless technologies and new spectrum management approaches that will enable federal users to satisfy their communications needs more effectively and efficiently, and to encourage private sector innovation and greater public/private cooperation. The WICI Committee, established as an ad hoc committee of the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee, is composed of senior experts from various federal government agencies. The WICI Committee will host a series of meetings in which representatives from federal agencies will discuss their communications requirements. These will be followed by further meetings where interested industry representatives will have an opportunity to present new technology developments to Committee members.

This organizational meeting will be procedural in nature by providing a briefing on the scope and format of the WICI Committee meetings and to give individual industry representatives an opportunity to provide feedback regarding the Committee's plan to implement the WICI. This feedback is essential to help ensure that the WICI goals are achieved, that there is wide participation from industry, and that U.S. Government and industry both benefit from the initiative.

WHEN: April 19, 2000
1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

WHERE: Room 6057 (Please note change in room number from previous advisory)
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20230

REGISTRATION: Online registration for industry representatives is required. Instructions for registration are provided on the NTIA web site at www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/wici