Chairman Pai Remarks at Congreso LatinoAmericano de Telecomunicaciones

Two themes I’d like to emphasize in my remarks: one, the importance of harnessing technology to solve our common challenges, and, two, the importance of regional collaboration to unlock those solutions. 

Our priorities for the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference in Egypt track the same priorities we have at home and for our region, and are the same ones I highlighted earlier in my remarks: closing the digital divide and promoting 5G and other next-generation innovations. Our guiding principles as we approach WRC-19 are three-fold. First, we need to create a flexible regulatory framework that allows for continued growth of a multi-trillion-dollar industry; Second, we need to enable regional and global spectrum harmonization opportunities for all services, including broadcasting, Wi-Fi, mobile technologies, and satellites, to create international economies of scale, roaming, and interoperability, lowering prices for manufacturers and consumers; And third, we should ensure reasonable protections for incumbent users of the spectrum, so they can continue to operate and have enough certainty to invest in new technologies and expand coverage and deployment.