FCC Responds to Plan to Nationalize 5G

In responde to a National Security Council memo urging the Trump administration to consider extraordinary efforts to clear the way for 5G, FCC commissioner responded:

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai: “I oppose any proposal for the federal government to build and operate a nationwide 5G network. The main lesson to draw from the wireless sector’s development over the past three decades—including American leadership in 4G—is that the market, not government, is best positioned to drive innovation and investment. What government can and should do is to push spectrum into the commercial marketplace and set rules that encourage the private sector to develop and deploy next-generation infrastructure. Any federal effort to construct a nationalized 5G network would be a costly and counterproductive distraction from the policies we need to help the United States win the 5G future.”

FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly: “I’ve seen lead balloons tried in D.C. before but this is like a balloon made out of a Ford Pinto. If accurate, the Axios story suggests options that may be under consideration by the Administration that are nonsensical and do not recognize the current marketplace. Instead, U.S. commercial wireless companies are the envy of the world and are already rushing ahead to lead in 5G. I plan to do everything in my power to provide the necessary resources, including allocating additional spectrum and preempting barriers to deployment, to allow this private sector success to continue.”

FCC Commissioner Brendon Carr: "Consumers in the U.S. have benefited from the deployment of world-leading 4G networks precisely because we got the government out of the way. Any suggestion that the federal government should build and operate a nationwide 5G network is a non-starter. We will lead in 5G by reducing regulation and freeing up the private sector to invest and deploy next-generation networks. That is why we are already taking steps to ensure that our regulatory frameworks are 5G Ready."

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn: "The United States’ leadership in the deployment of 5G is critical and must be done right. Localities have a central role to play; the technical expertise possessed by industry should be utilized; and cybersecurity must be a core consideration. A network built by the federal government, I fear, does not leverage the best approach needed for our nation to win the 5G race."

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel: "This correctly diagnoses a real problem. There is a worldwide race to lead in #5G and other nations are poised to win. But the remedy proposed here really misses the mark."