FCC Announces $9-Billion Fund for 5G Rural Development

December 9, 2019 in News by RBN Staff

 

Source: Need To Know  | Smart Cities Dive

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced a $9-billion fund to help carriers deploy 5G wireless service in rural America, which is more difficult in sparsely populated areas because many small cells are required. The FCC will set aside at least $1-billion for projects facilitating precision agriculture, which allows tractors to be guided by radio signals.[No mention is made of the fact that this already is possible from GPS. All the talk is about faster signals for better communications and how to improve agriculture, but many believe the real objective is total surveillance.] -GEG

Dive Brief:

  • Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced plans for a $9 billion fund to help carriers deploy 5G wireless service in rural America, which will replace an existing program that supported 4G LTE networks.
  • The 5G Fund will be distributed through a reverse auction and will target areas with difficult terrain or sparse populations. The FCC will set aside at least $1 billion for projects facilitating precision agriculture.
  • According to a report released by the FCC this week, the previous Mobility Fund Phase II was marred by inaccurate data provided by carriers. Based on speed tests conducted over nearly 10,000 miles of driving, FCC staff determined that “coverage maps submitted by certain carriers likely overstated each provider’s actual coverage and did not reflect on-the-ground experience in many instances.”

Read full article here…