White House 5G Summit Focuses on Encouraging Private Sector Leadership

The White House's 5G summit Friday focused on emphasizing cross-government coordination on policies aimed at ensuring infrastructure deployment is driven by market forces and reducing regulatory burdens, as expected (see 1809210052). Closed breakout sessions with federal and industry officials didn't presage looming White House action, instead focusing on existing efforts at the FCC, NTIA and other agencies, attendees told us.

The House Commerce Committee “is working toward a bipartisan” 5G supply chain cybersecurity bill, said Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., at the event. “We need to get our supply-chain solutions right.” There “have been alarm bells at all levels of government about potential risks,” he said. “Some of the proposed solutions can be just as alarming,” including proposals to “simply ban vendors.”

Capitol Hill critics of a deal to lift a Department of Commerce ban on U.S. companies selling telecom software and equipment to Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer ZTE unsuccessfully attempted to reinstate the ban (see 1808130064). The market for telecom hardware and software “is global,” Walden said. “Without a forward-looking strategy it will be increasingly difficult for our domestic communications providers to obtain their equipment from trusted vendors.”

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., touted his Streamlining the Rapid Evolution and Modernization of Leading-Edge Infrastructure Necessary to Enhance Small Cell Deployment Act (S-3157) to “help America reap the benefits of 5G leadership while respecting the important role State and local governments play in deployment decisions.” Thune and Senate Communications ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, filed it in June (see 1806290063). Thune noted “the critical role unlicensed spectrum plays in the development of 5G and throughout the communications landscape.” Wi-Fi “operating on unlicensed spectrum is responsible for a tremendous and growing amount of the data transmitted in our homes and offices, and will play an increasing role,” he said.

NTIA plans to issue in 2018 a request for proposals seeking “additional data” in its examination of ways to improve quality and accuracy of broadband availability data and mapping, Administrator David Redl said. Many suggested ways NTIA could help improve broadband mapping, also noting limitations (see 1807170052, 1807180049 and 1807190047). “Our plan now is to take a phased approach to collecting the data we need to make a broadband availability map that shows the true picture,” Redl said. “We will be working with states that already have collected broadband availability data, or had otherwise strong broadband programs. This will allow us to get the most value for the resources allocated.” A “technology service provider ... will help us integrate all of the data sources we can bring together,” Redl said.

Chairman Ajit Pai said recent 5G-related FCC actions are part of a comprehensive strategy to “Facilitate American Superiority in 5G Technology.” These include Wednesday approval of a declaratory ruling and order designed to speed the deployment of small cells and 5G (see 1809280050), Pai said.

National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said President Donald Trump's administration is taking an “America first, 5G first” approach, encouraging private sector activity in a bid to ensure the U.S. plays the lead role in 5G deployment and development. “The White House is behind this free market approach,” and it's also “not here to make war on China,” Kudlow said. Attendees noted the White House appeared to be trying to tamp down private sector concerns that it could resurrect a bid to build a national 5G network. The private sector and Capitol Hill in January criticized a leaked National Security Council draft memo that proposed 5G nationalization because of concerns China could otherwise build a network (see 1801290034).

Kudlow and other administration officials said they viewed the summit as an opportunity to gather feedback on what agencies need to do to further reduce regulatory burdens. That attitude was largely reflected in closed-door breakout sessions, participants said. The White House showed it has a “laser-like focus” at “the very highest level” to ensuring 5G leadership, said Wireless Infrastructure Association President Jonathan Adelstein in an interview. “They really want the private sector” to be the ones driving 5G innovation while the government works to “remove obstacles.”

There wasn't “enough time” during the public or closed-door sessions to “get into a deep discussion” on any particular issue, but administration officials succeeded in “signaling support for the private sector and that the government is there to do what it can to streamline” regulatory reviews of deployment projects, one private sector attendee said. Administration officials in a breakout session on applications of 5G, including telehealth, seemed interested in hearing “what needs to happen” with policymaking to ensure further innovation, another attendee said.