Government and industry executives discussed their roles in ensuring Internet connectivity to all Americans via 5G. Moderated by CTA vice president of regulatory affairs J. David Grossman, panelists touched on the major obstacles to ubiquitous connectivity. Qualcomm senior director of government affairs Leslie Barnes noted that, “it’s important we consider all the technologies for last mile connectivity.” “Where fiber is impractical or cost prohibitive, fixed wireless access is a possibility, and it’s cost effective,” she said. “It’s a fast-growing solution that now covers over 35 million households and 2 million businesses.”

Amazon head of wireless and spectrum policy Jaime Hjort described her company’s Project Kuiper, its low earth orbit (LEO) constellation to bring fast, reliable connectivity to underserved communities in partnership with Verizon. Upcoming milestones in 2023 include “the launch of the first prototype satellites.”

The company is also investing in Amazon Web Services, partnering with carriers such as Dish, and has just launched private 5G networks.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), said senior advisor Philip Murphy, will be focused on a long-term strategy on how to leverage resources. “We’re thinking about shared spectrum technology and how we get people to take advantage of innovations,” he said.

At the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development & Connectivity, executive director Veneeth Iyengar noted that, in his state of 4.5 million people, 1.5 million don’t have access to high-speed Internet. “We’re a public startup,” he noted. “We have to work at a level of urgency.”

Grossman pointed out that the FCC has launched broadband maps, with an upcoming deadline for public comment. “The feds are delivering from a mapping and policy perspective for the first time in its history,” he said. “The maps are a good step but an imperfect product. This is going to be an iterative process. We’ll continue to submit feedback on a real time basis for a finished product that will make deployment efficient.”

Murphy added that, “we’re required to find the unserved locations via the map.” “On June 30, we hope to have sufficient data to award the allocations to each state,” he said. “But the map will continue to evolve as broadband is deployed.”

Next-gen applications include, according to Barnes, “more millimeter wave in dense areas to address the growing demand for data,” as well as “an increased focus on AR, VR and MR to support applications beyond gaming, such as healthcare.”

Hjort emphasized that “affordability is a top priority for us.” She is also enthused about Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum that can be used for private mobile networks.