The Trump Administration said it has no plans to build a 5G wireless network

The Trump administration labored to clarify on Jan 29 that it currently has no plans to build its own ultra-fast 5G wireless network, despite publication of a memo that suggested the idea was under consideration. At issue is a proposal put forth by an unnamed official at the National Security Council, a White House-based body that advises the president on critical U.S. and foreign policy matters. The document called for the U.S. government to effectively nationalize a portion of the telecom sector — a radical departure from current policy — in a bid to combat Chinese influence.

As multiple White House officials confirmed, the document as published is dated. They also stressed it had merely been floated by a staff member, not a reflection of some imminent, major policy announcement — and probably might never be. For one thing, it’s the Federal Communications Commission that serves as the government’s steward of the wireless airwaves that power 5G and myriad other uses for smartphones, tablets and similar mobile devices. And the chairman of that independent agency, Ajit Pai, said Jan 29 that he vehemently opposed the idea of nationalizing 5G.