Senate Commerce Committee Hearing on 'Industries of the Future' Talks C-Band, 5G

The Senate Commerce Committee's first hearing of 2020, "Industries of the Future" dealt with the federal government's role in advancing new technologies. Federal Communications Commissioners Jessica Rosenwrocel and Michael O'Rielly testified and spoke about 5G. On the issue of speeding the 5G rollout, Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) pointed out that there is "a company on TV" already advertising that they are already leading the industry in 5G. Commissioner Rosenworcel said there have been some deployments, which was exciting, but that they were chiefly in urban areas. But she said that, overall, there were more deployments in countries like Switzerland, and far more in China. Commissioner O'Rielly said the priority was speed, while Commissioner Rosenworcel said it should be "getting it right."

Commissioner Rosenworcel took a critical view of what she said was the FCC's focus on high-band spectrum. She said the US was alone in focusing on auctioning high-band early on, which she said was only good for urban America, not rural. She said the FCC needs to pivot to mid-band (freeing up C-band spectrum for 5G). Chairman Wicker asked if the FCC commissioners agreed on the need for that pivot. Rosenworcel said the committee could help get agreement by coming up with legislation to chart out the best way forward on 5G spectrum. Chairman Wicker said the committee would certainly want to be heard from on where the money from those spectrum auctions go. Commissioner Rosenworcel said legislation was needed to clarify the FCC's practice of reclaiming spectrum and to direct where the billions of dollars in proceeds should be directed.  Satellite companies have argued the FCC does not have the authority to simply take the spectrum without compensating them for it. But some in Congress, on both sides of the aisle, are concerned that paying satellite operator incumbents, all international companies, would be taking money that could instead be spent on things like public safety and rural broadband.