Unleashing 5G Potential

By: Laurel Duggan

President Trump has announced his plan to make 100 megahertz of mid-band spectrum available for commercial 5G deployment. By enabling widespread adoption of 5G, this will promote innovation and economic opportunity while bolstering our national security. 

The administration has collaborated with the Department of Defense to ensure that these changes do not compromise military preparedness. Honorable Dana Deasy, chief Information Officer of the DOD, commented, “With this additional 100 MHz, the U.S. now has a contiguous 530 megahertz of mid-band spectrum from 3450-3980 MHz to enable higher capacity 5G networks.”

The United States leads in low and high band frequency availability, and the FCC has freed up more than 5,000 megahertz of spectrum for 5G—more than any other country. But we still lag behind other developed nations in mid-band spectrum, a key range for 5G deployment. President Trump’s move to free up the 3.45-3.55 GHz band  will help us become global leaders in 5G. 

“This is a huge step. Getting any part of the DOD or other government agency to find and repurpose underutilized spectrum is like pulling teeth. I am impressed to see both a commercial and a government repurposing of spectrum this year – something that seemed nearly impossible! By speeding up the transition to 5G, we are paving the way for economic growth and opportunity. I would like to congratulate both the public and private sector for working together to make more spectrum available to speed the transition to 5G,” said Katie McAuliffe, Executive Director of Digital Liberty. 

President Trump’s commitment to 5G is reflective of his broader focus on cyber policy and internet accessibility. He is the first president in 15 years to put forward a national cyber strategy. He signed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act to confront national cyber threats, and issued an executive order along the same lines. President Trump has also emphasized broadband access in rural areas. More broadly, the administration’s focus on removing regulatory barriers to innovation have allowed private companies to invest in 5G infrastructure. Because of these actions, 250 million Americans already have access to 5G. 

Photo Credit: NASA HQ PHOTO