FCC Under Pressure on Controversial 5G Bid

All eyes are on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on whether he’s about to unveil a potential order to approve a long-pending application from Virginia-based satellite company Ligado Networks, which wants to light up 5G operations in some airwaves it currently holds. Lawmakers have nudged him for months to make a call on this industry request, but the Pentagon and other parts of the Trump administration have cried foul and said Ligado’s plans would disrupt their own critical operations in nearby airwaves — charges Ligado disputes. The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration sent another round of objections to the FCC on April 10, including signatures of concern from the departments of Energy, Homeland Security, Transportation and, perhaps most interestingly, Justice.