President Donald Trump View Photos President Trump discussed upgrading the nation’s cellular communications networks from 4G to 5G. Trump was Monday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”. Here are his words: “Well, thank you very much, everybody. Big day. Very important day. We have a lot of important days at our White House. And this is, to me, the future. I want to thank you all for being here to discuss a critical issue for our country’s future: winning the race to be the world’s leading provider of 5G cellular communications networks. It’s all about 5G now. We were at 4G, and everybody was saying, “We have to get 4G.” And then they said, before that, “We have to get 3G.” And now we have to get 5G, and 5G is a big deal. And that’s going to be there for a while. And I guess, at some point, we’ll be talking to you about number 6. What do you think? (Laughter.) Do you think that’s true, Ajit? But, right now, we want to be the leader in this. We’re the leader in almost everything else. And we’re grateful to be joined by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who’s been doing a fantastic job, and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky. Thank you very much, Stephen. Appreciate it. And tell Sonny “hello.” He’s doing a tremendous job. Really tremendous. Secure 5G networks will absolutely be a vital link to America’s prosperity and national security in the 21st century. 5G will be as much as 100 times faster than the current 4G cellular networks. It will transform the way our citizens work, learn, communicate, and travel. It will make American farms more productive, American manufacturing more competitive, and American healthcare better and more accessible. Basically, it covers almost everything, when you get right down to it. Pretty amazing. And just as 4G networks paved the way for smartphones and all of the exciting breakthroughs — they made possible so many things — this will be more secure and resilient. 5G networks will also create astonishing and really thrilling new opportunities for our people — opportunities that we’ve never even thought we had a possibility of looking at. We cannot allow any other country to out-compete the United States in this powerful industry of the future. We are leading by so much in so many different industries of that type, and we just can’t let that happen. The race to 5G is a race America must win, and it’s a race, frankly, that our great companies are now involved in. We’ve given them the incentive they need. It’s a race that we will win. In the United States, our approach is private-sector driven and private-sector led. The government doesn’t have to spend lots of money. According to some estimates, the wireless industry plans to invest $275 billion in 5G networks, creating 3 million American jobs quickly — very quickly — and adding $500 billion to our economy. And, as you probably heard, we had another alternative of doing it; that would be through government investment. And leading through the government, we don’t want to do that because it won’t be nearly as good, nearly as fast. And especially in that business, I think that they’ll be better doing the job than a lot of the folks who we know and love. To accelerate and incentivize these investments, my administration is focused on freeing up as much wireless spectrum as needed — we’re going to free it up so they’ll be able to get out there and get it done — and removing regulatory barriers to the buildout of networks. As Chairman Pai will discuss with you in a moment, the FCC is taking very bold action — probably bolder than they’ve ever taken before; it’s a new frontier — to make wireless spectrum available. By next year, the United States is on pace to have more 5G spectrum than any other country in the world. That’s a big statement because, as you know, some people got ahead of us. We should have been doing this a long time ago, as advanced as it may be. In addition, last October, I directed the Department of Commerce to develop a National Spectrum Strategy to free up even more spectrum for economic activity, including 5G. The FCC has also taken action to streamline the permitting process for 5G infrastructure with state and local governments. That’s a big deal. It takes too long to get permits. We’re going to free that situation up, and we’re going to put limits and the local areas are going to listen to us very, very strongly. They have a big incentive to do that. They must now approve new physical infrastructure within 90 days, instead of many years. It can sometimes take three, four, and five years. We’re going to put a limit of 90 days. And there is now a cap on the unreasonable fees local governments often charge. They get greedy. They think, “Hey, we can really take advantage.” And it ends up that everybody gets hurt. So we’re putting a cap on those fees. These changes will contribute greatly to building high-speed networks across America. And it’s going to happen very quickly. Very, very quickly. By the end of this year, the United States will have 92 5G deployments in markets nationwide. The next nearest country, South Korea, will have 48. So we have 92, compared to 48. And we’re going to accelerate that pace greatly. But we must not rest; the race is far from over. American companies must lead the world in cellular technology. 5G networks must be secure. They must be strong. They have to be guarded from the enemy — we do have enemies out there — and they will be. They must cover every community, and they must be deployed as soon as possible. As we are making great progress with 5G, we’re also focused on rural communities that do not have access to broadband at all. And we have a couple of people from the great farms that I love, that I’m sure voted for me. I won’t ask them, but they seem — (laughter) — I think they, for the most part — yes? PARTICIPANT: Yeah. THE PRESIDENT: Good. I think, for the most part, they did. I think — I know that almost automatically. I’d be very surprised. But I have to say, I’ve been talking about broadband for the — for rural America — the farmers and others. They have really been — they just haven’t been treated properly. And now, what we’re doing is we’re making it a priority. That’s the areas we want to go to first, so they’re covered. We’re working closely with federal agencies to get networks built in rural America faster and at much, much lower cost than it is even today. So now I’d like to introduce a very special man who’s really worked hard and gained the respect of the world, truly — because they see what we’re doing in our country — who will making two major announcements to accelerate our 5G future and extend broadband access to every American. No matter where you are, you will have access to 5G. And it’s going to be a different life. I don’t know that it’s going to be better. Maybe you’re happy the way it is right now — (laughter) — but I can say, technologically, it won’t even be close. So, Chairman Pai, thank you very much. Please, say a few words. Thank you very much, Ajit. MR. PAI: Thank you, Mr. President. Appreciate you. (Applause.) Well, thank you, Mr. President, for you your compelling vision of U.S. leadership on 5G. I also want to thank Larry Kudlow, the Director of the National Economic Council, for your steadfast support of this vision. Mr. President, as you observed, America must win the race to 5G, the next generation of wireless connectivity. And this matters for two key reasons: The first is national competitiveness.<doc-sep>The Latest on President Donald Trump and 5G next generation mobile networks (all times local): 2:45 p.m. President Donald Trump says the race to build 5G is one America must win. Trump said Friday at the White House that building high-speed networks across the United States will transform the way Americans work, learn, communicate and travel. 5G will mean faster wireless speeds and has implications for technologies like self-driving cars and augmented reality. The rollout started last week in the U.S. and South Korea but will take years. Trump says, "We must not rest. The race is far from over." The White House says that Trump understands the country must invest in visionary projects to "dominate the industries of the future and lead America into the 21st century." ___ 9:55 a.m. The U.S. communications regulator will hold a massive auction to bolster 5G service, the next generation of mobile networks, and will spend $20 billion for rural internet. 5G will mean faster wireless speeds and has implications for technologies like self-driving cars and augmented reality. The rollout started last week in the U.S. and South Korea but will take years. The Federal Communications Commission said Friday that it would hold the largest auction in U.S. history, of 3,400 megahertz, to boost wireless companies' networks. The FCC also says it will repurpose funds from existing programs to provide $20.4 billion connecting up to 4 million rural homes and small businesses to high-speed internet. There are 24 million Americans without access to broadband, and the problem is worst in rural areas.<doc-sep>President Donald Trump and the Federal Communications Commission are preparing to announce a major push for fifth generation mobile development in an effort to leapfrog ahead of China in that area, Axios reported Friday. The FCC will auction off three big slices of millimeter-wave airwaves that experts argue are important to providing rural areas’ high-speed internet, the report notes. The agency also plans to create a “Rural Digital Opportunity Fund” (RDOF) to spend roughly $20 billion over a decade on rural broadband. Trump and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will announce their plans at a White House event Friday afternoon. The auction will be rolled out in December and is expected to be the largest-ever amount of airwaves any administration has ever auctioned off for commercial use. In addition, the RDOF will be doled out through subsidies eligible to wireless companies through a competitive bid, Axios reported. (RELATED: DOD Officials Warn Trump Administration To Stop Hassling Giant 5G Developer) In a bid to speed up development, the FCC is also capping fees and permitting requirements wireless companies must abide by to construct millions of antennas needed to deploy 5G connectivity. City officials have fought tooth-and-nail against capping such fees, claiming that such caps hamper local cities’ abilities to manage public property. Free market groups championed Trump’s push. “We applaud President Trump and National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow for standing by the incredibly strong team of FCC Commissioners this administration has assembled, including Chairman Ajit Pai. The work this administration’s FCC has done to ensure America remains the world leader in internet and telecommunications technology will produce incalculable benefits for our economy for decades to come,” Ken Cuccinelli, FreedomWorks Foundation Director of the Regulatory Action Center, said in a press statement. Trump’s new push comes as a handful of Republicans continue pushing for a new tactic, one that involves developing such technologies in a way similar to China. Newt Gingrich, a Trump supporter and a former Georgia congressman, for one, is an advocate of allowing the government to take a pronounced role in development. “Our own laissez-faire tendencies and preferences are being used to defeat us,” Gingrich wrote in an op-ed in February, referring to China’s supposed dominance. Whatever happens with 5G development, he added, “the project could be nationwide, with broad geographic coverage.” China, which is one of the few countries able to manufacture the tools needed for a 5G build out, outspent the U.S. by $24 billion and has built 350,000 new wireless towers since 2015, according to Deloitte Consulting’s research. The U.S. had built just 30,000 during that same time. None of this appears to have stifled Trump’s enthusiasm for a fight. The president is pushing U.S. telecommunications companies to blow past China. “I want 5G, and even 6G, technology in the United States as soon as possible. It is far more powerful, faster, and smarter than the current standard,” Trump told his Twitter followers in February. Follow Chris White on Facebook and Twitter Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.<doc-sep>
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks next to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Ajit Pai during an event on United States 5G deployment in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., April 12, 2019. President Donald Trump and the FCC on Friday announced several initiatives to spur 5G network growth in the U.S. "The race to 5G is on and America must win," Trump said, noting that 92 5G markets will be ready by the end of the year, outpacing South Korea, which is on pace to have 48 markets live by the end of 2019. "It's a race our great companies are now involved in," Trump said. "According to some estimates, the wireless industry plans to invest $275 billion in 5G networks, creating 3 million American jobs quickly, and adding $500 billion to our economy." 5G is the next generation of wireless network that will enable faster data speeds. Unlike 4G LTE, which mainly targeted mobile phones, tablets and computers, 5G is also expected to enable more reliable connections on self-driving vehicles that will need a constant data connection, and smart cities that use "internet of things" devices, such as connected street lamps, traffic lights and more. AT&T and Verizon already have fledgling 5G networks in the United States, and T-Mobile and Sprint plan to activate their networks later in 2019. Only one phone from Motorola, offered on Verizon, supports 5G in the U.S. right now. "To accelerate and incentivize these investments, my administration is freeing up as much wireless spectrum as needed," Trump said. "[We're] removing regularity barriers to the buildout of networks.The FCC is taking very bold action, bolder than they've ever taken before, to make wireless spectrum available. Spectrum is the airwaves networks use to provide internet to devices. Spectrum space is regulated by the FCC. Trump's comments come in tandem with announcements the FCC made Friday. The FCC said that starting on Dec. 10, it will offer "the largest spectrum auction in our nation's history," allow carriers bid on 3,400 MHz of new spectrum in the Upper 37 GHz, 39 GHz and 47 GHz spectrum bands. The additional spectrum would "promote the development of 5G, the Internet of Things and other advanced spectrum-based services," the FCC said. Additionally, the FCC proposed new new rules that allow "Fixed Satellite Service operators to provide faster, more advanced services to their customers" using 50 GHz spectrum. It also said that current rules "impair the ability of users to deploy small, next-generation networking devices on their own property," particularly in rural areas, and proposed changes that would allow people to install "hub and relay antennas" on their property to help spur 5G networks. "The FCC aims to create a $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity fund," to "extend high-speed broadband to up to 4 million homes and high-speed businesses in rural America," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said. Pai also addressed the crackdown on Huawei's equipment for use in 5G networks across the U.S. and Europe. "We believe that the security and reliability of 5G is absolutely important, not just as a matter of national competitiveness, but also as a matter of national security," Pai told CNBC's Eamon Javers. "I have been very encouraged by my conversations with our European allies all across the Continent about the importance of security and 5G networks. The need to have a framework to understand the risk profile of certain equipment and services is something most allies recognize and it's just a collaborative process of making sure that we have a framework that works for everybody." WATCH: Some say 5G will cause cancer, but here's why scientists say we do not need to worry