Speech

2020 has been so dark. In the throes of a pandemic, we know so much has been lost – is still being lost. But for just a few moments, let us celebrate the achievements of digital equity advocates. Because 2020 only proves how essential our work is. Millions in the US have lost jobs this year. But digital equity advocates have helped people find new employment because of their connections to and expertise with the internet.

Back in 2017, 5G was a big focus of my remarks. But back then, 5G was largely hypothetical and aspirational. This year, I’m speaking to you just a few days after the release of the first 5G iPhone. Over the past three-plus years, 5G has gotten real—very real. How did we get from there to here? Obviously, many of you in the audience led the way. But I’d like to think the Federal Communications Commission put a tailwind at your back. I’d like to walk through the actions we’ve taken at the FCC to accelerate the arrival of the 5G revolution.

I wanted to use my remarks to talk more broadly about the Federal Communications Commission’s efforts to connect all Americans. The FCC’s first and foremost mission is to help ensure that every American can access advanced communications. On my first full day in this job in Jan 2017, I convened a meeting of the FCC’s staff. I told them that our number one priority would be closing the digital divide and bringing the benefits of the Internet age to all Americans. And for good reason.

The giant elephant in this virtual room: the completely indefensible proposal to create a government-sponsored wholesale wireless network. For the last few years this “idea” has been floated, rejected, floated, rejected, and just recently floated again. Now, it seems to be under consideration once again by some at the highest levels of our government.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp relief a host of problems that at their core are about fairness—issues of racial justice, economic security, and the digital divide, among others. I am an optimist, and believe that technology, and the wireless communications sector in particular, has an important role to play here.

We won’t fully bring the benefits to all Americans if we’re advocating for bringing a connection into their homes that is insecure or unsafe. That means we cannot allow data security and privacy to become luxury goods available only to the elite. On the security side, I’ve been vocal about the need to secure our communications networks.

Today’s showcase is bringing together venture capital groups, community development financial organizations, technology companies, and civil rights organizations to facilitate access to economic opportunities in the ICT sector for small and diverse businesses. We will also have a workshop to assess the impact of COVID-19 on small, diverse businesses and to evaluate CARES Act implementation and additional opportunities for financial support and relief.

We are gathering virtually at a pivotal moment in the evolution of communications technology. Across America and around the world, private companies are rolling out the next generation of wireless technology—commonly known as 5G. These networks will bring exponential increases in speed, responsiveness, and capacity—creating an incredible wireless experience for both consumers and enterprises. As we have pursued our own actions to address security threats, the United States has been working closely with our international partners.

It is a privilege to address this conference, and to talk about the important job we have of protecting access to the scarce resource that is our nation’s airwaves, promoting the core principles of localism, diversity, and competition, and ensuring that broadcasters first and foremost serve the public interest. I look forward to engaging with you as leaders in the industry on how to address the issues Hispanic and Latinx and other underrepresented broadcasters face, and exploring what we all can do to keep radio vibrant and strong. What can be done to increase these ownership numbers?

The past few months have underscored a basic truth: full participation in civil society requires an internet connection. Wireless technologies, including emerging 5G technologies, have an important role to play here. That’s why we must do more to make high-quality, affordable broadband, including 5G wireless service, available to everyone. In planning and promoting the deployment of advanced wireless networks, we have an opportunity to promote digital inclusion and combat longstanding inequalities.