Republican Senators Urge President Trump to Bolster Private-Sector Deployment of 5G

Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) led a letter with nearly 20 Republican colleagues to President Donald Trump applauding the administration’s successful efforts to empower the private sector to build multiple 5G networks. The senators also expressed concerns regarding a request for information that was released by the Department of Defense that contradicts the successful free-market strategy that has embraced 5G. “Nationalizing 5G and experimenting with untested models for 5G deployment is not the way the United States will win the 5G race,” the senators wrote. “While we recognize the need for secure communications networks for our military, we are concerned that such a proposal threatens our national security. When bad actors only need to penetrate one network, they have a greater likelihood of disrupting the United States’ communications services. As you stated in August, ‘[s]ecure 5G networks will absolutely be a vital link to America’s prosperity and national security in the 21st century.’ We strongly urge you to remain on the free-market path you have articulated, a path that will enable the United States to win the global 5G race.”

Joining the letter were Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Mike Lee (R-UT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Dan Sullivan (R-AL), and Todd Young (R-IN).