A 5G network owned by the United States government? It’s not going to happen.
- jan
- 29
- Posted by Michael
- Posted in Okategoriserade
The U.S. government considering its own 5G network is nothing new, frightening, or likely to happen.
Could the Trump White House be pondering a nationalized 5G network? Yes, it's distinctly possible. But it's also highly unlikely to happen and the story is being blown dramatically out of proportion.
The latest Twitterverse kerfuffle was kicked up by an Axios report alleging consideration of "an unprecedented federal takeover of a portion of the nation's mobile network to guard against China". That's an alarming claim, no matter what side of the political aisle you're on. Axios is a relatively new publication, but they've made a name for themselves since their 2016 launch with a number high profile exclusives and well-sourced and researched pieces. This 5G report is well-sourced, but also takes a number of alarmist steps that ignore how the U.S. federal government actually functions.
Here's what Axios is reporting:
We've got our hands on a PowerPoint deck and a memo — both produced by a senior National Security Council official — which were presented recently to senior officials at other agencies in the Trump administration. ... The documents say America needs a centralized nationwide 5G network within three years.
Axios goes on to describe two options laid out in the report: that the government builds its own 5G network or that the various competing carriers in the US build their own. It's worth noting that this is a proposal made by a single NSC member. This is how the government is supposed to work. The NSC is just one of many competing interests in the federal government, and its mandate is to advance strategies to maintain and enhance the security of the United States. It would indeed be in the national defense interests of the U.S. military to have a government-controlled high-speed low-latency nation-wide wireless network — rapid and clear communication is vital for successful military operations, and a 5G network would be enormously useful in that.
But... the NSC is still just one of many loud voices in the United States government. The Departments of State and Commerce and Justice would all have competing opinions on the proposal for a federal network, from international trade implications to pushback from the carriers that spend billions on lobbying. Not to mention the cost of such an endeavor.
There's precedent for large government projects used by civilians: the Interstate Highway System and GPS, for example.
There is historical precedent for large investments that would support both military operations and civilian needs. The Interstate Highway System was funded by the federal government not just to dramatically improve inter-state travel and commerce — the primary impetus for its creation was the need to be able to quickly deploy military force throughout the United States in the event of a foreign invasion. The constellation of GPS satellites we rely on for navigating the world today is a U.S. Air Force project that was originally built for military purposes (and the government still has a switch to downgrade GPS accuracy for non-U.S. military users if deemed necessary).
Talk of a federally owned communications cellular network has been going on for decades, but it was kicked into high gear after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The strikes on New York City and the Pentagon didn't just reveal the unpreparedness of the United States for such an unsophisticated attack — it also exposed weaknesses in the civilian-owned and operated cellular networks of the time. On that day the cellular networks in New York and DC were overwhelmed by the sheer number of users trying to access services — and that was well before today's high-speed wireless internet services.
The biggest pushback would come from cellular network operators. Every U.S. carrier has already invested heavily in 5G, from research to live regional tests to making preparatory upgrades to their transmission infrastructure to handle the eventual roll-out of 5G-capable transceivers and consumer devices. Billions of dollars have already been laid out with the expectation that there will be much more invested in the networks and billions more reaped in profit. You can be certain that Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint have already contacted their lobbying firms to communicate their displeasure.
Specialized equipment has long been a part of the military's inventory. Just this weekend the story of expensive new refrigerators for Air Force One provoked outrage once the context of what the purchase actually consisted of (five bespoke flight-grade walk-in cooling units to store up to 3,000 meals on what is essentially a flying White House). Equipment like tanks and aircraft carriers and grenades is all exclusively manufactured for the military, to its specification. But the military has long also used off-the-shelf civilian hardware when it meets its needs and costs. Walk into the Pentagon and you'll find government-issued HP and Dell laptops and officers walking around with issued iPhones running on Verizon and AT&T.
The United States has long had an interplay between the needs of the federal government and the civilian population. Sometimes there are things that only the government could effectively fund, organize, and operate, like the interstate system or GPS satellites. The costs behind those become easier to justify when they're also available to civilian users. Conversely, there are things the civilian market is far better at — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile all have enormous expertise in cellular networks, they've already made huge investments in their network infrastructure that they'll be able to leverage in building their 5G networks, and they're already responsive to the needs of their customers — both civilian and government.
This proposal was dead in the water before it was ever presented. It's almost amusing, following the Trump administration's push against Net Neutrality being framed as unleashing the potential of web services and internet providers, to now see a proposal to create a national 5G network that the government would then lease to the carriers.
Proposals like this are how the government works. Just because somebody made a PowerPoint deck doesn't mean it's going to happen.
It's worth repeating: this is just a proposal from one part of the government. Axios notes that it was already presented to other agencies, where I have no doubt it was met with significant resistance, if not outright derision. After all, the Trump government is supposed to be one that gets out of corporate business (for better or worse), and "we're going to build a 5G network and you'll just rent access from us because we're the federal government" runs 100% counter to that.
There's much the government could do to promote and accelerate the development and deployment of 5G networks in the United States, though it'd have to come with oversight than the billions of government subsidies paid to Verizon for a fiber network it never built. Grants to ensure deployment into rural areas, subsidies for low income access, regulation clean-up to ease the way for new installations, funding of university and corporate research projects in artificial intelligence and domestic development of these technologies — all of this is already within the wheelhouse of what the federal government can do, and sometimes already does.
Proposals like this are just how the government works. The military side of the equation is going to propose everything they can think of to ensure the most efficient and most effective military they can imagine, while the diplomats will propose their own missions and initiatives to promote their goals, and the economists are going to come with an entirely different set of proposals about trade and monetary policy and financial regulations. These will all be simultaneously complementary and contradictory. This is the nature of government — a dozen departments with competing goals in different arenas jockeying for limited resources. Their proposals are just part of what feeds into the decision-making process of the President and Congress, which are supposed to strike a balance between the needs of the military, business, international partners, civilians, and (of course) politics.
I would be utterly shocked if a government-owned 5G network ever comes to fruition. It'd be massively expensive and inefficient, not to mention well outside the government's expertise and capability. It'd also see immediate and costly legal challenges, not to mention stand on legally tricky ground when the carriers have already paid billions to the government for the frequency licenses they need to deploy their own 5G networks.
The government would also have to pay for this somehow, and after a $1.5 trillion-dollar tax cut, there's not a lot of spare cash laying around for GovCell.
Senaste inläggen
- Upcoming iOS 18 iPhone software update tipped to finally bring tasks to the Calendar app via new Reminders integration
- Fallout Shelter has been raking in $80,000 daily since the TV show’s debut as downloads skyrocketed 346%
- Grab 25% off Apple TV MLS Season Pass and watch Messi’s bid to bring football-not-soccer glory to Inter Miami
- Gorgeous (PRODUCT)RED mid-season iPhone 15 revamp teased as attentions turn to iPhone 16, 16 Pro
- Has Apple created an answer to Microsoft Copilot? Here’s how AI could change Safari in iOS 18
Senaste kommentarer
Arkiv
- maj 2024
- april 2024
- mars 2024
- februari 2024
- januari 2024
- december 2023
- november 2023
- oktober 2023
- september 2023
- augusti 2023
- juli 2023
- juni 2023
- maj 2023
- april 2023
- mars 2023
- februari 2023
- januari 2023
- december 2022
- november 2022
- oktober 2022
- september 2022
- augusti 2022
- juli 2022
- juni 2022
- maj 2022
- april 2022
- mars 2022
- februari 2022
- april 2021
- mars 2021
- januari 2021
- december 2020
- november 2020
- oktober 2020
- september 2020
- augusti 2020
- juli 2020
- juni 2020
- maj 2020
- april 2020
- mars 2020
- februari 2020
- januari 2020
- december 2019
- november 2019
- oktober 2019
- september 2019
- augusti 2019
- juli 2019
- juni 2019
- maj 2019
- april 2019
- mars 2019
- februari 2019
- januari 2019
- december 2018
- november 2018
- oktober 2018
- september 2018
- augusti 2018
- juli 2018
- juni 2018
- maj 2018
- april 2018
- mars 2018
- februari 2018
- januari 2018
- december 2017
- november 2017
- oktober 2017
- september 2017
- augusti 2017
- juli 2017
- juni 2017
- maj 2017
- april 2017
- mars 2017
- februari 2017
- januari 2017
- december 2016
- november 2016
- oktober 2016
- september 2016
- augusti 2016
- juli 2016
- juni 2016
- maj 2016
- april 2016
- mars 2016
- februari 2016
- januari 2016
- december 2015
- november 2015
- oktober 2015
- september 2015
- augusti 2015
- juli 2015
- juni 2015
- maj 2015
- april 2015
- mars 2015
- februari 2015
- januari 2015
- december 2014
- november 2014
- oktober 2014
- september 2014
- augusti 2014
- juli 2014
- juni 2014
- maj 2014
- april 2014
- mars 2014
- februari 2014
- januari 2014
Kategorier
- –> Publicera på PFA löp
- (PRODUCT) RED
- 2015
- 25PP
- 2nd gen
- 32gb
- 3D Touch
- 3D-kamera
- 4k
- 64gb
- 9to5mac
- A10
- A9X
- Aaron Sorkin
- Accessories
- adapter
- AirPlay
- AirPods
- Aktiv
- Aktivitetsarmband
- Aktuellt
- Alfred
- AMOLED
- Android Wear
- Angela Ahrendts
- Ångerätt
- announcements
- Ansiktsigenkänning
- app
- App Store
- Appar
- Apple
- Apple Beta Software Program
- Apple Book
- Apple CarPlay
- Apple Event
- Apple iMac
- Apple Mac Mini
- Apple Macbook
- Apple MacBook Air
- Apple MacBook Pro
- Apple Macos
- Apple Maps
- Apple Music
- Apple Music Festival
- Apple Music Radio
- Apple Offer
- Apple Online Store
- Apple Park
- Apple Pay
- Apple Pencil
- Apple Podcast
- Apple Store
- Apple Store 3.3
- Apple TV
- apple tv 4
- Apple TV 4K
- Apple Watch
- Apple Watch 2
- Apple Watch 8
- Apple Watch 9
- Apple Watch Apps
- Apple Watch SE
- Apple Watch Series 2
- Apple Watch Sport
- Apple Watch Ultra
- AppleCare
- AppleTV
- Application
- Applications
- Apps
- AppStore
- Apptillägg
- Apptips
- AppTV
- April
- Arbetsminne
- armband
- Art Apps
- Återköp
- återvinning
- Åtgärdsalternativ
- atvflash
- Audio Apps
- Augmented REality
- Back-to-school
- Bakgrundsbilder
- BankId
- Barn
- Batteri
- batteriskal
- batteritid
- Beats
- Beats 1
- Beats Solo 2 Wireless
- Beats Solo2
- Bebis
- Beginner Tips
- Belkin
- Bendgate
- beta
- Beta 3
- betaversion
- betaversioner
- bilddagboken.se
- bilder
- bilhållare
- billboard
- Bioteknik
- Blendtec
- Bloomberg
- Bloons TD 5
- Bluelounge
- Bluetooth
- Böj
- Booking.com
- Borderlinx
- bose
- bugg
- Buggar
- Buggfixar
- Butik
- C More
- Calc 2M
- Camera
- Campus 2
- Canal Digital
- Carpool Karaoke
- Caseual
- Catalyst
- CES 2015
- Chassit
- Chip
- Chrome Remote Desktop
- Chromecast
- citrix
- clic 360
- CNBC
- Connect
- Cydia
- Dagens app
- Dagens tips
- Damm
- Danny Boyle
- Data
- datamängd
- Datorer
- Datortillbehör
- Datum
- Defense
- Dekaler
- Designed by Apple in California
- Developer
- Development
- Digital Inn
- Digital Touch
- Digitalbox
- DigiTimes
- Direkt
- Discover
- display
- DisplayMate
- Dive
- Docka
- Dräger 3000
- Dropbox
- Droples
- DxOMark
- E-post
- earpod
- EarPods
- Earth Day
- Eddie Cue
- eddy cue
- Educational Apps
- Ekonomi
- Ekonomi/Bransch
- El Capitan
- Elements
- ElevationLab
- Elgato Eve
- Elgato Eve Energy
- EM 2016
- Emoji
- emojis
- emoticons
- Enligt
- EU
- event
- Eventrykten
- EverythingApplePro
- Faceshift
- facetime
- Fäste
- Featured
- Features
- Feng
- Film / Tv-serier
- Filmer
- Filstorlek
- Finance Apps
- Finder For AirPods
- Finland
- FireCore
- Fitbit
- Fitness Accessories
- Fjärrstyr
- Flurry
- Födelsedag
- fodral
- Förboka
- Force Touch
- förhandsboka
- Första intryck
- Forumtipset
- foto
- FoU (Forskning och Utveckling)
- Fource Touch
- Foxconn
- FPS Games
- Framtid
- Fre Power
- Frontpage
- Fullt
- Fuse Chicken
- Fyra
- Gadgets
- Gagatsvart
- Gamereactor
- Games
- Gaming
- Gaming Chairs
- Gästkrönika
- General
- Gigaset
- Gitarr
- Glas
- GM
- Google Maps
- Google Now
- gratis
- grattis
- Guide
- Guider
- Guider & listor
- Guld
- hack
- Halebop
- hållare
- Hälsa
- Hårdvara
- HBO
- HBO Nordic
- Health
- Health and Fitness
- Health and Fitness Apps
- Hej Siri
- Helvetica Neue
- Hemelektronik
- Hemknapp
- Hemlarm
- Hermes
- Hitta min iphone
- Hjärta
- högtalare
- HomeKit
- HomePod
- hörlurar
- htc
- Hue
- Humor
- i
- I Am A Witness
- IBM
- iBolt
- iBomber
- iBook
- icar
- iCloud
- iCloud Drive
- iCloud Voicemail
- iCloud.com
- iDevices
- IDG Play
- idownloadblog
- iFixit
- ikea
- iKörkort
- iLife
- Illusion Labs
- iMac
- IMAP
- iMessage
- iMessages
- iMore Show
- Incipio
- InFuse
- Inspelning
- Instagram-flöde
- Instrument
- Intel
- Internet/Webbtjänster
- iOS
- iOS 10
- iOS 12
- iOS 17
- iOS 18
- iOS 5
- iOS 7
- iOS 8
- iOS 8 beta
- iOS 8.1.3
- iOS 8.2
- iOS 8.3
- iOS 8.4
- iOS 8.4.1
- iOS 9
- iOS 9 beta 4
- iOS 9.1
- iOS 9.1 beta 2
- iOS 9.2
- iOS 9.2.1
- iOS 9.3
- IOS Games
- ios uppdatering
- ios9
- iPad
- iPad Accessories
- iPad Air
- iPad Air 2
- iPad Air 3
- iPad Apps
- iPad Mini
- iPad mini 4
- iPad Mini 6
- iPad mini retina
- iPad Pro
- iPados
- iphone
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 17
- iPhone 5
- iPhone 5S
- iPhone 5se
- iPhone 6
- iphone 6 plus
- iPhone 6c
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6S plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 display
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 7s
- iPhone Accessories
- iPhone Apps
- iPhone SE
- iphone x
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone7
- iPhoneGuiden
- iPhoneguiden.se
- iPhones
- iPod
- iPod Nano
- iPod shuffle
- ipod touch
- iSight
- iTunes
- iWatch
- iWork
- iWork för iCloud beta
- Jailbreak
- James Corden
- Jämförande test
- Jämförelse
- Jet Black
- Jet White
- Jönssonligan
- Jony Ive
- Juice Pack
- Juridik
- Just mobile
- kalender
- kalkylator
- Kamera
- Kameratest
- Karriär/Utbildning
- Kartor
- Kevin Hart
- keynote
- Keynote 2016
- KGI
- KGI Security
- Kina
- Klassiskt läderspänne
- Kod
- Kollage
- koncept
- konceptbilder
- köpguide
- krasch
- Krascha iPhone
- Krönika
- Kvartalsrapport
- Laddhållare
- laddningsdocka
- Laddunderlägg
- läderloop
- lagar
- Lagring
- Lajka
- Länder
- lansering
- laserfokus
- Layout
- leather loop
- LG
- Liam
- Lifeproof
- Lightnigport
- lightning
- Linux
- LinX
- live
- Live GIF
- Live Photos
- Live-event
- Livsstil
- Ljud & Bild
- Logitech
- LOL
- Lösenkod
- Lösenkodlås
- Lovande spel
- LTE
- Luxe Edition
- M3
- M3TV
- Mac
- Mac App Store
- Mac Apps
- Mac Mini
- Mac OS
- Mac OS X
- Mac OS X (generellt)
- Mac OS X Snow Leopard
- Mac Pro
- Macbook
- Macbook Air
- Macbook Pro
- Macforum
- Macintosh
- macOS
- Macs
- MacWorld
- Made for Apple Watch
- magi
- Magic
- MagSafe
- Martin Hajek
- matematik
- Meddelanden
- Media Markt
- Medieproduktion
- Mediocre
- Messaging Apps
- Messenger
- MetaWatch
- Mfi
- Michael Fassbender
- microsoft
- Mikrofon
- Minecraft
- Ming-Chi Kuo
- miniräknare
- minne
- Mixer
- Mixning
- Mjukvara
- mobbning
- Mobile Content
- Mobilt
- Mobilt/Handdator/Laptop
- Mobiltelefon
- Mockup
- Mophie
- mors dag
- moto 360
- Motor
- MTV VMA
- multitasking
- Music
- Music Apps
- Music, Movies and TV
- Musik
- Musikmemon
- MW Expo 2008
- native union
- Nätverk
- Navigation Apps
- nedgradera
- Netatmo Welcome
- Netflix
- Netgear Arlo
- News
- Niantic
- Nike
- Nikkei
- Nintendo
- Nöje
- Norge
- Notis
- Notiscenter
- nya färger
- Nyfödd
- Nyheter
- Officeprogram
- Okategoriserade
- OLED
- omdöme
- Omsättning
- OS X
- OS X El Capitan
- OS X Mavericks
- OS X Yosemite
- Outlook
- Övrig mjukvara
- Övrigt
- PanGu
- papper
- patent
- PC
- pebble
- Pebble Smartwatch
- Pebble Steel
- Pebble Time
- Pebble Time Steel
- Persondatorer
- Petter Hegevall
- PewDiePie
- Philips
- Philips Hue
- Phones
- Photoshop
- Planet of the apps
- Plex
- Pluggar
- Plus
- Plusbox
- Podcast
- Podcast Apps
- Policy
- Porträttläge
- PP
- Pris
- priser
- problem
- Problems
- Productivity Apps
- Program
- Prylar & tillbehör
- Publik
- publik beta
- QuickTime
- räkenskapsår
- räkna
- ram
- RAM-minne
- Rapport/Undersökning/Trend
- Rea
- Reading Apps
- recension
- Red
- reklaamfilm
- reklam
- reklamfilm
- reklamfilmer
- rekord
- Rendering
- reparation
- Reportage
- Reptest
- ResearchKit
- Retro
- Review
- Ring
- Ringa
- Rocket Cars
- Rosa
- Rumors
- Rumours
- RunKeeper
- rykte
- Rykten
- Safir
- Säkerhet
- Säkerhetsbrist
- Samhälle/Politik
- samsung
- Samtal
- San Francisco
- SAP
- security
- Series 2
- Servrar
- Shigeru Miyamoto
- Sia
- Siri
- SJ Min resa
- skal
- Skal iPhone 6
- skal iPhone 6s
- skärm
- SKärmdump
- Skärmglas
- Skribent
- skribenter medarbetare
- Skriva ut
- skruvmejsel
- skydd
- Skyddsfilm
- Skype
- slice intelligence
- Smart
- smart hem
- Smart Home
- Smart Keyboard
- Smart klocka
- Smart Lights
- smartphone
- Smartwatch
- Snabbt
- Snapchat
- Social Apps
- Software
- Solo2
- sommar
- Sonos
- Sony
- soundtouch
- Space Marshals
- spår
- Speakers
- Special Event
- Spel
- Spelkonsol
- Spellistor
- Split Screen
- Split View
- Sport
- Sportband
- Sports Apps
- spotify
- Spring forward
- Statistik
- Steve Jobs
- Stickers
- Stockholm
- Stor iPhone
- Storlek
- Story Mode
- Strategy Games
- streama
- Streaming
- stresstest
- Ström
- Studentrabatt
- stylus
- Super Mario Run
- support
- Surf
- Surfplatta
- svenska
- sverige
- Sverigelansering
- Switch
- Systemstatus
- Systemutveckling
- tåg
- Taig
- Tangentbord
- Taptic Engine
- Tårta
- tät
- Tävling
- Taylor Swift
- Teknik
- tele 2
- Telefoner
- Telekom
- Telia
- Test
- Tid
- TikTok
- Tile
- tillbehör
- Tim Cook
- TIME
- TimeStand
- Tiny Umbrella
- Tips
- Toppnyhet IDG.se
- Touch ID
- TouchID
- tower defence
- trådlös laddning
- Trådlösa hörlurar
- trådlöst
- trailer
- Travel Apps
- Tre
- TrendForce
- TripAdvisor
- Trolleri
- trump
- TSMC
- Tum
- tv
- tvätta
- tvOS
- tvOS 9.2
- tvOS beta 2
- Tweak
- Typsnitt
- Ubytesprogram
- UE MegaBoom
- Unboxing
- Underhållning/Spel
- unidays
- United Daily News
- Unix
- Updates
- Uppdatera
- uppdatering
- Upplösning
- upptäckt
- USA
- Ut på Twitter
- utbyte
- utbytesprogram
- Utilities Apps
- Utlottning
- utrymme
- utvecklare
- varumärke
- Vatten
- Vattentålig
- vattentät
- vävt nylon
- Verktyg
- Viaplay
- Vibrator
- video
- Videoartiklar och webb-tv (M3/TW/CS)
- Villkor
- viloknapp
- Virtual Reality
- Virus
- visa
- Vision Pro
- VLC
- Volvo on call
- W1
- Waitrose
- Watch OS
- WatchOS
- WatchOS 2
- watchOS 2.0.1
- watchOS 2.2
- Webbtv (AppTV)
- wi-fi
- Wifi-samtal
- Windows
- Windows 8
- WWDC
- WWDC2015
- yalu
- Youtube
- Zlatan