Remarks of Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel on Accelerating 5G in the United States

I want to start by recognizing that the cybersecurity challenge is about to get even more challenging with the advent of 5G. I’m going to share three lessons we’ve all learned from scary movies that should apply equally to our nation’s cybersecurity.

1. Never Split Up. In my first meeting as Acting Chairwoman I committed to working with our federal partners and the private sector to increase the security and resiliency of our nation’s communications networks. I also made clear my belief that working with like-minded countries and multilateral institutions and building on shared frameworks like the Prague Principles can multiply our strength across the globe.
2. Don’t Answer the Door; Don’t Let the Threat Inside Your Home. We’ve rolled out policies aimed at slowing down the adoption of Huawei and ZTE equipment globally, targeting these companies’ practices that allow them to move quickly, and leveling the international playing field.
3. Have a Back-Up Plan. While we continue to take action to slow down untrusted vendors, we also must take action to speed up American innovation. So to get that effort started, March 17 the FCC launched the first-ever inquiry into open radio access networks—or open RAN.