White House Plans Sept. 28 5G Meeting

The White House is planning a Sept. 28 meeting with federal and industry officials on developing and deploying 5G, officials and lobbyists said. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and NTIA Administrator David Redl are expected to speak. Executives are also expected to attend, with several telling us they received invitations Friday. Those notices didn’t include specifics on who would be there or what issues would be discussed, the officials said. The White House is aiming for the event to focus on an industry-driven approach to ensuring U.S. leadership on 5G, with included discussions on rural broadband and spectrum issues, two lobbyists said. President Donald Trump’s administration drew ire from Capitol Hill and the private sector in January after a leaked National Security Council draft memo proposed 5G nationalization because of concerns China could otherwise build a network (see 1801290034). The administration mentioned 5G deployment in its December national security strategy (see 1712180071 and 1712270032). NTIA referred questions to the White House, which didn’t comment. The FCC also didn’t comment. “5G has taken on a somewhat nationalist component and is more and more considered an important strategic platform for economic competitiveness,” said Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Spectrum Policy Director Doug Brake. “Hosting a summit to gather input and discussion on the topic to inform policy across federal agencies makes a lot of sense.”