FCC Chairman Ajit Pai today said he disagrees with national security advisors' idea that the government should take control of 5G. "I oppose any proposal for the federal government to build and operate a nationwide 5G network," said Pai in a statement. People advising the Trump administration recently suggested that the government should build and run a 5G network in order to protect the country from Chinese spying. "The main lesson to draw from the wireless sector’s development over the past three decades -- including American leadership in 4G -- is that the market, not government, is best positioned to drive innovation and investment. What government can and should do is to push spectrum into the commercial marketplace and set rules that encourage the private sector to develop and deploy next-generation infrastructure. Any federal effort to construct a nationalized 5G network would be a costly and counterproductive distraction from the policies we need to help the United States win the 5G future." U.S.-based mobile network operators are already developing 5G technology, devices, and services. AT&T and Verizon have committed to releasing 5G in some form by the end of 2018.


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