5G can’t fix America’s broadband problems

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said he sees fifth-generation wireless (5G) becoming a “fixed broadband replacement product” within the next three to five years, providing consumers with faster speeds than most existing cable and DSL connections. But experts say there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about the hype surrounding 5G, especially given these same companies’ long history of unfulfilled broadband promises. And, the shift to 5G won’t address one of the biggest — but largely overlooked — reasons for high wireless prices in the United States. Large Internet service providers enjoy a de facto monopoly over the business data services (BDS) market, which adds a huge cost to providing wireless service. This “special access” market connects everything from cell towers to ATMs to the larger internet, and FCC data indicates that in 73 percent of geographical areas, this market is dominated by just one ISP (usually AT&T, Verizon, or CenturyLink). Other experts argue that your wireless connection may soon come packed with arbitrary restrictions that have never been a problem on wireline connections.