FCC chair opposes nationalizing 5G network
Source: The Hill
BY HARPER NEIDIG - 01/29/18 09:45 AM EST
Ajit Pai, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, is opposing a reported White House proposal to nationalize a 5G network currently being developed by the private sector.
“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,” Pai said in a statement Monday morning.
Axios reported on Sunday night that the National Security Council had floated a government takeover of the mobile network as a defensive measure against China. That option is sure to rile up the telecom industry, which has been touting its progress on the next-generation network for months.
Pai, who is held in high regard by the industry, argued that the government’s only role in 5G development should be to set rules for the marketplace that would encourage innovation. “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,” Pai said.
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Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/technology/371184-fcc-chair-comes-out-against-nationalizing-5g-network
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The FCC and the ISP's figure they'll be able to control access to any new network that comes out. Control means ka-ching - they can charge us whatever they want to use it.
But the problem is, we've learned over the last 20 years that ANY network can be hacked. Any software can be hijacked. Assume the Russian programmers and security guys can hack anything we can build. Now who's going to guarantee our safety and privacy? The private sector? I don't think so.
