On Sunday, Axios reported
that members of President Donald Trump’s National Security Council are
considering nationalizing America’s 5G wireless networks. The documents
released by Axios outline a plan in
which the federal government would build and pay for a single 5G network in response to China's "dominant position in the manufacture and operation of
network infrastructure.” The documents make it clear that this proposal is
designed to protect the United States from China and other bad actors.
FCC Chairman Ajit
Pai quickly announced his opposition
to the proposal:
I oppose any proposal for the federal government to
build and operate a nationwide 5G network. The main lesson to draw from the
wireless sector’s development over the past three decades—including American
leadership in 4G—is that the market, not government, is best positioned to
drive innovation and investment. What government can and should do is to push
spectrum into the commercial marketplace and set rules that encourage the
private sector to develop and deploy next-generation infrastructure. Any
federal effort to construct a nationalized 5G network would be a costly and
counterproductive distraction from the policies we need to help the United
States win the 5G future.
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