A new report claims that the Trump administration is discussing nationalizing the nation's fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks in an attempt to fight Chinese hackers. A leaked PowerPoint deck and memo produced by a senior National Security Council official urges the government to finance and build a 5G network owned and operated by the government itself, then use that newfound ownership power to combat "malicious actors" like China in the "information domain." The plan proposes accomplishing all of this, somehow, within a three-year window.
"The best way to do this, the memo argues, is for the government to build a network itself," the report states. "It would then rent access to carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile."
The proposal is an unprecedented shift that doesn't seem likely to happen given likely incumbent carrier opposition to such a plan. The 5G standard and the construction of pre-standard trials worldwide is already well underway, and the United States government suddenly injecting itself into this process over vague natsec concerns seems impractical and unlikely.
Trump's own FCC boss Ajit Pai, a close ally of these incumbent players, was quick himself to issue a statement saying such an idea was off the table.
“I oppose any proposal for the federal government to build and operate a nationwide 5G network," Pai said. "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," Pai added.
Telecom lobbying groups like US Telecom, primarily funded by AT&T, also quickly shot down any such proposal.
"There is nothing that would slam the breaks more quickly on our hard-won momentum to be the leader in the global race for 5G network deployment more quickly than the federal government stepping-in to build those networks," claims the lobbying and policy group. "The best way to future-proof the nation’s communications networks is to continue to encourage and incentivize America’s broadband companies -- working hand-in-glove with the rest of the internet ecosystem, and in partnership with government, to continue do what we do best: invest, innovate, and lead."
In short, it seems like this is little more than a random pipe dream by a natsec advisor who doesn't understand the technical realities of 5G deployment, or the power wielded by companies like AT&T.