A Partisan Debate Emerges Over Internet Dead Zones

Speedier 5G wireless technology is rekindling a long-running debate over the best way to reach America’s internet dead zones: by wire or by wave. Cellphone carriers including Verizon and T-Mobile  say new wireless technologies will let them serve more home-broadband subscribers without sending a technician to wire up a customer’s house. The companies have promised to build profitable services where other wireless broadband companies, like Clearwire, have failed to build a viable business, but they have yet to detail how many wireless homes they serve.

But the argument over which technology is better suited to the task is more than a debate about engineering. It has gained a political tinge, too. The Trump administration has touted its federal policies designed to spur 5G network investments as an answer to the digital divide that has kept millions of American households disconnected from high-quality internet service. Fiber advocates say a hard wire to the home will last the longest without requiring a costly replacement in a few years. A cellphone tower that could serve some disconnected homes today might become congested tomorrow.