INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Matt Weinberg
Contributor
Matt Weinberg is a former White House appointee with the United States Small
Business Administration, where he served as a Senior Advisor in the Office of Investment and Innovation.
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New tech trade associations will have big role in future tech policy
ITC protection of IP necessary for continued
innovation
New fifth-generation &5G&network technology will equip the United States with a superior wireless platform, unlocking
transformative economic potential
However, 5G success is contingent on modernizing outdated policy frameworks that dictate infrastructure overhauls and establishing the
proper balance of public-private partnerships to encourage investment and deployment.
Most people have heard by now of the coming 5G
Compared to 4G, this next-generation technology will deliver near-instantaneous connection speed, significantly lower latency — meaning
near-zero buffer times — and increased connectivity capacity to allow billions of devices and applications to come online and communicate
simultaneously and seamlessly.
While 5G is often discussed in future tense, the reality is it already here
Its capabilities were displayed earlier this year at the Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where Samsung and Intelshowcaseda5G enabled
virtual reality (VR) broadcasting experience to event-goers
In addition, multiple United States carriers, including Verizon, ATT and Sprint, have announced commercial deployments in select markets by
the end of 2018, while chipmaker Qualcomm unveiled last month its new 5G millimeter-wave module that outfits smartphones with 5G
compatibility.
BARCELONA, SPAIN & 2018/02/26: View of the phone company QUALCOMM technology 5G in the Mobile World Congress
(Photo by Ramon Costa/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
While this commitment from 5G commercial developers is promising, long-term
success of 5G is ultimately dependent on addressing two key issues.
The first step is ensuring the right policies are established at the
federal, state and municipal levels in the United States that will allow the buildout of needed infrastructure, namely &small cells.& This
equipment is designed to fit on streetlights, lampposts and buildings
You may not even notice them as you walk by, but they are critical to adding capacity to the network and transmitting wireless activity
quickly and reliably.
In many communities across the United States , 20thcentury infrastructure policies are slowing the emergence of
bringing next-generation networks and technologies online
Issues, including costs per small cell attachment, permitting around public rights-of-way and deadlines on application reviews, are all
less-than-exciting topics of conversation but act as real threats to achieving timely implementation of 5G according to recent research
fromAccentureand the5G Americasorganization.
Policymakers can mitigate these setbacks by taking inventory of their own policy frameworks
and, where needed, streamlining and modernizing processes
For instance, current small cell permit applications can take upwards of 18 to 24 months to advance through the approval process as a result
of needed buy-in from many local commissions, city councils, etc
That an incredible amount of time for a community to wait around and ultimately fall behind on next-generation access
As a result, policymakers are beginning to act.
Thirteen states,including Florida, Ohio and Texas, have already passed bills alleviating
some of the local infrastructure hurdles accompanying increased broadband network deployment, including delays and pricing
Additionally, this year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has moved on multiple orders that look to remedy current 5G roadblocks,
includingopening up commercial accessto more amounts of needed high-, mid- and low-band spectrum.
The second step is identifying areas in
which public and private entities can partner to drive needed capital and resources toward 5G initiatives
These types of collaborations were first made popular in Europe, where we continue to see significant advancement of infrastructure
initiatives through combined public-private planning, including the European Commission and European ICT industry&s5G Infrastructure Public
Private Partnership(5G PPP).
The United States is increasing its own public-private levels of planning
In 2015, the Obama administration Department of Transportation launched its successful Smart City Challenge encouraging planning and funding
in United States cities around advanced connectivity.More recently, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded New York City a $22.5
million grant through its Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) initiative to create and deploy the first of a series of wireless
research hubs focused on 5G-related breakthroughs, including high-bandwidth and low-latency data transmission, millimeter wave spectrum,
next-generation mobile network architecture and edge cloud computing integration.
While these efforts should be applauded, it important to
remember they are merely initial steps.A recent studyconducted by CTIA, a leading trade association for the wireless industry, found that
the United States remains behind both China and South Korea in 5G development
If other countries beat the United States to the punch, whichsome anticipate is already happening, companies and sectors that require
ubiquitous, fast and seamless connection — like autonomous transportation, for example — could migrate, develop and evolve abroad,
casting lasting negative impact on United States innovation.
The potential economic gains are also significant
A2017 Accenture reportpredicts an additional $275 billion in infrastructure investments from the private sector, resulting in up to 3
million new jobs and a gross domestic product (GDP) increase of $500 billion
That just on the infrastructure side alone
On the global scale, we could see as much as $12 trillionin additional economic activity according to discussion at theWorld Economic Forum
Annual Meetingin January.
Former President John F
Kennedy once said, &Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.& When it comes to America technology evolution, this quote
Our nation has led the digital revolution for decades
Now with 5G, we have the opportunity to unlock an entirely new level of innovation that will make our communities safer, more inclusive and
