'The race to 5G has begun': Hearing led by Sen Thune (R-SD) touts possibilities of technology in Sioux Falls

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) brought his fight for fifth-generation (5G) internet speeds to Sioux Falls (SD) on Oct 12 during a field hearing of the committee.  "I've heard from stakeholders throughout the country ... it will transform our everyday lives," Chairman Thune said, referring to its potential in the use of driverless cars, precision agriculture and e-medicine. "The race to 5G has begun and the United States has the technology to win, but as I've said before, technology is only part of the equation." Flanked by corporate telecommunications executives to his right and public office holders to his left at the special meeting, Chairman Thune and the panel spent nearly two hours discussing government barriers — local, state and federal — that are keeping nearly all of the country from enjoying the fastest internet speeds in the world. Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr said that federal telecommunication regulations were for decades focused on the large macro-cell towers that have been used to provide internet services with lower speeds. But with 5G cell towers being exponentially smaller and able to be fixed to the top of light poles or water towers, those regulations are outdated.