Embracing the Innovation 5G will Bring About

Technology now is creating and disrupting on shorter and shorter cycles.  It is breaking down old ways of doing business and introducing fresh competition. More than ever, technology is upending markets in which the status quo thrived for decades. In the face of all this change, however, some in government succumb to paralysis by analysis. This is a real danger that regulators—particularly those overseeing the telecom sector—must avoid.  While we rightly want to understand the impact that new technologies will have, too often “careful deliberation” is little more than code for indefinite inaction.  Those of us in government must lean in and embrace the disruptive new technologies that 5G can enable.  And that means doing our part to allow the private sector to build out these networks of the future.  While the benefits of 5G are compelling, the network upgrade won’t happen evenly or everywhere unless we get the right regulatory structures in place.  After all, the largest cities in the world—New York or LA, Brussels or Barcelona—will see 5G almost regardless of the regulations we adopt. But that’s not success. We must deliver next-generation broadband and the economic opportunity it enables to every community.  For the US, this is particularly challenging, given the sparse population centers in our vast rural areas. Smart infrastructure policies are key to serving those areas.