SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Plans for the U.S. government to build a national 5G network secured against China appear to have been quashed following intense telecom industry lobbying:
The Trump Administration made a few announcements about building super-fast 5G wireless networks on Friday, but the real purpose of the White House event was buried beneath the headlines.
On the surface, President Trump and Federal Communications Commission chair Ajit Pai were promoting the schedule for a new spectrum auction and funds for extending faster Internet service to rural areas. But the auction, now slated to start on December 10, has been on tap for the "second half of 2019" since last year. And the funds for rural Internet connections, which don't have to use 5G technology or even wireless, were just an extension of a long-existing program.
Instead, the real agenda was to try and kill a well-funded lobbying effort to convince the federal government to take over 5G airwaves and build a nationalized network that private carriers would have to lease from the government. Supporters included prominent Republicans Newt Gingrich and Karl Rove, as well as Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale.
But the idea has driven the U.S. telecommunications industry, which is spending tens of billions of dollars to build private 5G networks, bonkers.
Ajit Pai talked about "up to" gigabit connections for rural homes.
Also at Engadget.
See also: FCC "consumer advisory" panel includes ALEC, big foe of municipal broadband
Related: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Proposes Raising Rural Broadband Speeds
Ajit Pai's Rosy Broadband Deployment Claim May be Based on Gigantic Error
Ajit Pai Wants to Cap Spending on Broadband for Poor People and Rural Areas
(Score: 2) by meustrus on Monday April 15 2019, @07:53PM (3 children)
I hadn't pegged Newt as a socialist. But apparently he and a bunch of other Republicans want to nationalize the cell network.
Can somebody with a better understanding of the internals of the Republican party please tell me how this shit gets past all the anti-socialists?
If there isn't at least one reference or primary source, it's not +1 Informative. Maybe the underused +1 Interesting?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @08:00PM
The republicrat party is one party whose goal is to make money and accumulate power/influence via insider trading, cronyism, and outright corruption while distracting you with issues they could care less about.
Once you see the world in those terms it will all make sense.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 15 2019, @08:19PM (1 child)
Yeah the plan is as socialist as those interstate highways, but slightly less so since you get the pipe from the govt and the data from any number of commercial ISPs who are now forced to compete on a level playing field. Darn those socialists!!!
(Score: 2) by tibman on Tuesday April 16 2019, @04:50AM
That would make sense if my public built roads had privately owned commerical tollbooths installed on everyone's driveway.
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.