Today, U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-12) and Susan Brooks (IN-05) hosted the inaugural 5G Caucus briefing with the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA). Meredith Attwell Baker, President and CEO of CTIA, and Brad Gillen, Executive Vice President of CTIA, shared a presentation with members of Congress and Congressional staffers explaining how the next generation of wireless connectivity will impact our lives.
Dingell and Brooks are co-founders and co-chairs of the 5G Caucus. 5G is the fifth generation of wireless connectivity that will unlock the potential of the expected 20 billion internet of things connected devices. The 5G Caucus was founded as a means to educate members on the importance of 5G technologies, the key role it plays in economic growth and digital innovation, and the role Congress can play to unleash its power in this country.
“Paving the way for 5G will help lay the foundation for American innovation,” said Dingell. “From advancing technologies like autonomous vehicles, which will make our roads and commutes safer, to building Smart Cities and promoting faster download speeds and connectivity, 5G has the potential to improve our lives and communities and keep American industries on the cutting edge. I am proud to launch the 5G Caucus with Congresswoman Brooks to explore how 5G will impact our communities and craft policies that will support this emerging technology, spur economic growth and keep the U.S. at the forefront of innovation.”
“The United States has continuously led the way in smart technologies: the first cell phone was invented here, 4G networks were first deployed in this country, and the app industry was created here,” said Brooks. “Now, there are more wireless connections in this country than there are people. 5G plays a critical role in ensuring our technologies communicate efficiently, reliably and safely. Rep. Dingell and I are excited to lead on this issue in Congress and introduce the 5G Caucus together, which will further emphasize the importance of ensuring our laws keep pace with innovation. We look forward to learning more about how policymakers can continue to encourage the investment, development and innovation that are advancing this technology and revolutionizing our communities and economy in the process.”
After this morning’s briefing, CTIA’s President and CEO Meredith Attwell Baker released the following statement:
“We thank Representatives Brooks and Dingell for creating the bipartisan 5G Caucus. Their vision and leadership will help secure spectrum and infrastructure policies that will enable America’s wireless carriers to invest $275 billion to win the global race to next-generation 5G networks, resulting in the creation of 3 million new jobs and the addition of $500 billion to our economy.”
To learn more about 5G and the resolution recently introduced, click here.
