New CCA Study Determines Additional Funding Is Needed to Ensure Ubiquitous 5G for All Americans
Today, in its new whitepaper entitled, “Ubiquitous Mobile Connectivity: A Plan for Nationwide 5G,” Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) unveiled a new national 5G cost model by CostQuest that determines that the total investment of private capital and government resources needed to achieve ubiquitous 5G coverage where carriers are unlikely to deploy without support is $36 billion.
In a statement, CCA President & CEO Steven K. Berry said, “Congress and the Administration should be commended for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the historic investments in fixed broadband access to help close the digital divide. But closing the digital divide is not complete without access to mobile connectivity. The reality is that nationwide 5G availability is not inevitable for all Americans, particularly those in rural America. The CCA-commissioned CostQuest model determines that the current budget for the 5G Fund is inadequate and additional support is needed to ensure all consumers – and not just those who will be covered by currently planned private investment – have access to ubiquitous 5G. The FCC should use existing funding budgeted for High Cost support to set a 5G Fund budget sufficient to accomplish this critical priority.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the urgency for broadband connectivity and consumers’ reliance on mobile broadband. The time to act is now, and I encourage policymakers to build on lessons learned from previous generations of wireless deployment and take immediate steps to allocate a sufficient budget for 5G support. Let’s seize this opportunity to close the digital divide once and for all.”
About CCA
CCA is the nation’s leading association for competitive wireless providers and stakeholders across the United States. Members range from small, rural carriers serving fewer than 5,000 customers to regional and nationwide providers serving millions of customers, as well as vendors and suppliers that provide products and services throughout the wireless communications ecosystem. Visit www.ccamobile.org.
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