President Trump’s comments on 5G

At a press event at the White House on Friday, President Trump made the following remarks regarding 5G:

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much, everybody.  Big day.  Very important day.  We have a lot of important days at our White House.  And this is, to me, the future.

I want to thank you all for being here to discuss a critical issue for our country’s future: winning the race to be the world’s leading provider of 5G cellular communications networks.  It’s all about 5G now.  We were at 4G, and everybody was saying, “We have to get 4G.”  And then they said, before that, “We have to get 3G.”  And now we have to get 5G, and 5G is a big deal.  And that’s going to be there for a while.  And I guess, at some point, we’ll be talking to you about number 6.  What do you think?  (Laughter.)  Do you think that’s true, Ajit?

But, right now, we want to be the leader in this.  We’re the leader in almost everything else. (continues)

Ajit Pai, FCC Chairman, comments (in part): 

Today, 5G is a success story — an American success story.  Well, how are we getting the job done?  As the lead agency on 5G, the FCC is pursuing a three-part strategy called the 5G FAST Plan.  First, we’re freeing up spectrum, the invisible airwaves that carry wireless traffic.  We finished our first 5G spectrum auction in January, and we’re holding a second, right now, that has already generated almost $2 billion in bids.

Second, we’re making it easier to install wireless infrastructure.  5G will rely heavily on a web of small antennas.  But when I came into office, regulations designed for tall towers threatened to strangle our 5G future in red tape.  We have eliminated these rules, because infrastructure the size of a pizza box shouldn’t have to jump through the same regulatory hoops as a 200-foot cell tower.

And third, we’ve taken action to encourage the deployment of optical fiber.  That is because 5G isn’t just about wireless.  We’ll also need strong fiber networks to carry 5G traffic once it goes from the air to the ground.  And we’ve done a lot to make that happen, including ending heavy-handed regulations imposed by the prior administration.  (continues)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-united-states-5g-deployment/