Speaking at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai laid out his vision for moving the FCC forward. Specifically, Pai wants to foster innovation and investment in 5G. In order to do that, says Pai, the government must be less restrictive than it has been. "The key to realizing our 5G future is to set rules that will maximize investment in broadband. For if we don’t, the price could be steep. After all, networks don’t have to be built. Capital doesn’t have to be spent in the communications sector. And the more difficult government makes the business case for deployment, the less likely it is that broadband providers big and small will invest the billions of dollars needed to connect consumers," said Pai in prepared remarks. "In the United States, we are in the process of returning to the light-touch approach to regulation that produced tremendous investment and innovation throughout our entire Internet ecosystem." Pai has already begun to reserve some of the policies set by his predecessor, Tom Wheeler. One area Pai intends to attack is net neutrality. "Two years ago, the United States deviated from our successful, light-touch approach. The FCC decided to apply last-century, utility-style regulation to today’s broadband networks. Rules developed to tame a 1930s monopoly were imported into the 21st century to regulate the Internet. It has become evident that the FCC made a mistake. Our new approach injected tremendous uncertainty into the broadband market. And uncertainty is the enemy of growth." Pai does want to encourage development of 5G, and today's network operators are likely to appreciate his change in tone with respect to regulation. Only time will tell if Pai's light-tough approach will bear out with real-world progress.


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