D.C. Memo: Carr, Simington Differ on FCC's New 5G Fund

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5G Fund: A politically polarized FCC yesterday said it will distribute via reverse auction $9 billion to provide 5G wireless service to an estimated 14 million rural homes and businesses nationwide that today lack access to that leading mobile technology. The agency said it will announce the start date of the auction at a later time. "With the progress we’ve made in mapping broadband service availability, there is no reason to wait to put the 5G Fund to work connecting households and businesses in rural communities across the country,” Democratic FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. "We are ready to use every tool available to make sure that those who live, work, and travel in rural America have access to advanced, 5G mobile wireless broadband services.” Republican FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr issued a dissent sharply critical of Rosenworcel’s approach to delivering 5G to rural areas, mainly because the Biden Administration's $42.5 billion BEAD program has not funded a single broadband infrastructure project in more than 1,000 days. "Moving ahead now with the 5G Fund, without knowing the results of BEAD, will lead to the same types of problems that have plagued the Biden-Harris Administration’s other broadband funding initiatives: more overbuilding, more duplication, and less efficient use of taxpayer dollars," Carr said. He said BEAD builds and 5G networks offer "promising synergies," with BEAD-funded networks supporting "fiber backhaul, fixed wireless, and other infrastructure projects that are part and parcel of a mobile broadband network." But that will be lost by going forward with the 5G Fund before the BEAD program has even gotten started, Carr said. Carr’s fellow Republican, Nathan Simington, voted for the item, propmting the FCC’s press release to call it a “bipartisan vote.” None of the FCC documents released yesterday — press release, report and order, and four statements — disclosed Simington's vote by name. The FCC said the 5G Fund will include $900 million in incentives for incorporating Open RAN in 5G Fund-supported networks. The rules will also require 5G Fund recipients to implement cybersecurity and supply chain risk management plans.