Substantive Objections to a Government 5G Wholesale Network

Over the last few months, various ideas have been floated about the offering of 5G wireless services via a government-sponsored network.  This entire effort seems convoluted and borders on the preposterous.  Just the notion of the U.S. moving away from the highly-successful, private-sector led approach that is responsible for our country’s premier position globally would be a serious misstep.  In essence, it would throw a monkey wrench into one of the greatest success stories in the history of technology.  At the same time, it has been nearly impossible to nail down with any granularity what exactly is being contemplated by this new “network.”  To call this effort a trial balloon is insulting to balloons, as all the ideas mentioned have far less consistency than balloons, and more closely resemble a child’s bubbles.  Based on what we do know, however, the entire effort is jam-packed with insurmountable problems. Accordingly, I’ve attempted to expose a few of the issues that someone trying to create a government-sponsored 5G network would face – no matter how it was structured – and explain why it doesn’t make logical sense.  Perhaps all the rhetoric and lobbying in favor of this scheme will end once people examine some straight facts and salient arguments.