A Christmas Gift from the Trump Administration: A 5G Wireless ‘Czar’
The Bell Has Already Rung
In 2019, with a $4-trillion-per-year federal Leviathan, running a joint called Less Government can lead to our taking some seemingly confusing and contradictory policy positions.
Of course, we want LESS government - not NO government. We’d like somewhere between $4-trillion-per-year - and Somalia. Admittedly closer to Somalia, but still….
We want a Constitutionally prescribed and proscribed government. Which means there are, in fact, some things the federal government should be doing.
And sometimes - especially with a government as huge as our federal government is - you need a little more government here…to get a whole lot less government there.
To wit: The federal government is responsible for maintaining the territorial integrity of our nation. And a little more government at our borders - results in a whole lot less government inside our borders.
The federal government is responsible for anything that involves the rest of the planet. They pass and enforce the relevant laws for our country - and then negotiate terms of exchange and interchange with the other countries of the world.
To wit: The Internet. In all its delivery forms: telephonic, wired, satellite…and wireless:
“95.1 percent of internet users primarily utilize mobile devices to access the internet.”
Going forward, no format has greater security and economic implications - than wireless.
We and the rest of the planet are racing toward the Fifth Generation (5G) wireless network. But the only two actual competitors for first place are US…and Communist China. So it is vitally important we win.
And that means getting the many arms of our federal government coordinated and rowing in the same direction. A Herculean task in any situation. Even more so on something as tech-heavy as 5G.
Ok, let’s be realistic: Here’s hoping we can get the government to be as non-government-like as possible.
To do that - you need a person to oversee the very many moving government parts that have a hand in 5G. So on December 23rd….
Trump Names Robert Blair to Work on 5G Efforts and International Telecommunications Policy
“‘He will coordinate interagency efforts and serve as a liaison to industry, non-governmental, and international stakeholders to promote the development, deployment, and operation of the next-generation telecommunications infrastructure that will provide the security, data privacy, and stability required for a fully interconnected world,’ the White House said….
“(I)t appears that Blair's background in defense spending is the primary reason for his new position.”
Indeed - for the massive security implications. Again, it’s either US or Communist China getting first to 5G.
Does our winning matter? Is the current Pope Communist - oops, I mean Catholic?
Why the US Must Beat China in the Race to 5G Internet:
“‘Getting there faster is a goal in and of itself,” (Federal Communications Commission-FCC Commissioner Brendan) Carr says. “The economic benefits that come with being a first-mover - and some of the standards-setting roles - are why I think winning it is important.”
What is “standards-setting,” you ask?
Why China and the US Are Fighting Over 5G:
“Being the first to develop 5G is important. This is because whoever develops 5G first - or, more realistically, various components of the technology - will likely have their intellectual property rights (IPRs) engrained in the 3GPP’s and ITU’s international standards.
“Having essential IPRs as part of the international standard will convey a huge commercial advantage for companies because it will allow them to sell products that comply with the standard. It will also allow them to collect royalties from other companies who use the technology….
“In addition to economic benefits, influencing international 5G standards carries security advantages as well. This is because whoever develops the standardized technology is likely to have a deeper knowledge of how it works - including any access points or vulnerabilities.
“Because these technical standards will affect anything that connects to the 5G network, any vulnerabilities could exist across all smart devices and the (Internet of Things) IoT.
“This is why the US government is so nervous about losing control of 5G development.”
As well the US government should be.
Thank goodness we are.
Which is why Trump’s new 5G Czar was the Christmas gift - we didn’t know we needed.
But we absolutely do.
This first appeared in Red State.