The US Must Move Quickly On Mid-Band Spectrum If It Wants To Lead In 5G

[Commentary] Even as wireless carriers are already rolling out 5G trials across the US, to keep pace with activity happening internationally and bring this transformative network to fruition in a timely fashion, policymakers must make a few more key moves. First, states and municipalities must streamline policies to infrastructure deployment. Next, and equally important, is that the federal government – namely, the Federal Communications Commission – must do its part as well. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has led the way on streamlining policies regarding infrastructure at the federal level; however, physical infrastructure is only one-half of the solution.  Invisible infrastructure is equally important, and the FCC could be doing more to unlock the spectrum resources needed to power the next generation of mobile connectivity. Our leaders have the right ideas, but if we hope to capture the gold medal in the race to 5G, we must move quickly and act now on mid-band spectrum.

[Roslyn Layton is a Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and served on the President-Elect Donal Trump Transition Team for the FCC in 2016-2017]