The U.S. Government Shouldn’t Run the Country’s 5G Network

President Trump and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai recently appeared together at the White House to highlight initiatives aimed at accelerating U.S. deployment of next-generation high-speed mobile networks, known as 5G. Their plan included new auctions for needed high-frequency radio spectrum, reallocation of $20 billion in annual universal service funds for fiber-optic deployments in rural areas, streamlined permitting requirements, and the continued development of a National Spectrum Strategy, which will identify and free up underutilized frequencies currently assigned to federal agencies. The 5G standards, which are now being finalized by global engineering working groups, will use those new frequencies to deliver dramatic increases in mobile communication speeds and capacity, while lowering both energy requirements and network response times, or “latency.” Early tests confirm 5G networks may be as much as 100 times faster than today’s average rates.