Remarks Of FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks CTIA 5G Summit

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp relief a host of problems that at their core are about fairness—issues of racial justice, economic security, and the digital divide, among others. I am an optimist, and believe that technology, and the wireless communications sector in particular, has an important role to play here. All around the nation, people are relying on connectivity more than ever, and they’re using their smartphones to document both injustice and inspiration. These events support a longstanding point that has only become clearer during the pandemic: full participation in civil society requires an internet connection. That’s why we must do more to make high-quality, affordable broadband, including 5G wireless service, available to everyone. Our collective 5G success will rely on smart policy decisions, and industry execution. We’ve made available hundreds of megahertz of spectrum, in low, mid, and high bands. Our capital investment per capita is on par with or ahead of other developed countries, and our wireless companies spend far more on research and development than their overseas counterparts. This is good, and that trend has proven to be durable and reliable; even the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t appear to have appreciably disrupted 5G supply chains or deployments. We must continue our efforts by working with our federal partners on spectrum like the lower 3 GHz band, encouraging partnerships between cities and providers for ubiquitous infrastructure deployments, and investing in digital readiness so all consumers understand the benefits of 5G.