FCC against 5G deployment by US federal govt.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is totally against 5G deployment by US federal government as they feel that the industry has the technical expertise to win the 5G race globally and it will also drive innovation and investment in new technologies. Commissioners in FCC feel that the US will lead 5G race once there is reduced regulation

On 5G deployment Commissioner Cleburne said, “The United States’ leadership in the deployment of 5G is critical and must be done right. Localities have a central role to play; the technical expertise possessed by industry should be utilized; and cybersecurity must be a core consideration. A network built by the federal government, I fear, does not leverage the best approach needed for our nation to win the 5G race.”

About deployment of 5G, Commissioner Brendan Carr said, “Consumers in the U.S. have benefited from the deployment of world-leading 4G networks precisely because we got the government out of the way. Any suggestion that the federal government should build and operate a nationwide 5G network is a non-starter. We will lead in 5G by reducing regulation and freeing up the private sector to invest and deploy next-generation networks. That is why we are already taking steps to ensure that our regulatory frameworks are 5G ready.”

On plans to nationalise 5G, Commissioner Michael O’ Rielly said, “I’ve seen lead balloons tried in D.C. before but this is like a balloon made out of a Ford Pinto. If accurate, the Axios story suggests options that may be under consideration by the administration that are nonsensical and do not recognize the current marketplace. Instead, U.S. commercial wireless companies are the envy of the world and are already rushing ahead to lead in 5G. I plan to do everything in my power to provide the necessary resources, including allocating additional spectrum and pre-empting barriers to deployment, to allow this private sector success to continue.”

On future of 5G, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said, “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.”

With all these statements, one thing is clear that in the US it will be the industry that will drive 5G and not the US federal government.