Axios.com/Kim Hart: How to get from our 4G reality to the 5G future

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Kim Hart Sep 2
How to get from our 4G reality to the 5G future
An old-fashioned radio antenna with strong signals on one side and weak signals on the other
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

Speedy 5G networks may be on the horizon, but consumer demand for wireless broadband is so intense that mobile companies like AT&T and Verizon need alternatives now — even if it means sharing airwaves with each other and with rival tech firms like Google.

The big picture: 5G networks are far from being fully deployed. While we're waiting, the tech, telecom and equipment industries have put aside (some of) their competitive differences to ensure the FCC approves a spectrum-sharing plan that will open up military airwaves for commercial use across the country.

They want to use a wide swath of prime airwaves known as Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) that are controlled by the Navy. As soon as a final dispute is resolved, premium frequencies will be available to companies, as long as the Navy still gets first dibs.

    How it works: For example, Verizon could use CBRS frequencies to let you stream movies on your smartphone. If Navy radar systems need to use a channel, software run by Google, Sony or Charter-backed Federated Wireless will shift that frequency to the Navy and move you to another channel to continue streaming. Other parts of the airwaves will be shared by others with different levels of priority.
    The service is also a new way to improve wireless service indoors, where 80% of wireless broadband use happens. This will be crucial to expanding coverage of 5G networks, since airwaves capable of gigabit-speed service can't travel through walls.

Several experiments are already underway:

    The City of San Francisco used the airwaves for a trial of smart city applications, like wireless cameras and other devices.
    The NFL wants to use it to deploy mini wireless networks in every NFL stadium to let coaches communicate with players during televised games.
    Boingo is piloting a private wireless network at Dallas Love Field Airport. "We think it’s the beginning of 5G, and so we’re quite excited about it," Boingo CEO David Hagan said on its last earnings call.
    Google teamed up with Nascar to build wireless broadband networks connecting racecars to the racetrack facilities.

CBRS is seen as a key stepping stone to 5G, said Dave Wright, president of the CBRS Alliance, a consortium of companies pushing to use the airwaves. The new spectrum-sharing system allows carriers to densify their 4G networks, which is a logical precursor to adding more antennas and small cells for 5G.

A wide range of companies have an interest in these airwaves.

    Cable companies like Comcast and Charter are trying to add wireless broadband and expanded Wi-Fi offerings to their internet and pay-TV bundles, and wireless carriers want to boost capacity to accommodate increasing traffic.
    Rural towns and rural wireless companies want to use the airwaves to build their own networks to reach unserved areas.
    Industrial players like GE and Union Pacific want to use it for factory networks and monitoring ships arriving in ports.
    Hospitals want to use it to provide telehealth services.

The sticking point is how the spectrum will be divvied up.

    The current framework would auction off priority access spectrum in small chunks, by census tract.
    Large wireless providers want the FCC to make those license areas larger, arguing it's a more efficient use of the spectrum, will reduce interference risk and be easier for the FCC to auction.
    Others — including rural wireless companies, industrial players, and Google — say enlarging the license areas would make them too expensive for smaller firms to buy. “Winning the race to 5G does not mean we need to let the most powerful companies in the mobile wireless industry define the rules of the road," said Claude Aiken, who represents small, mostly rural wireless carriers, in an op-ed.
    FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly, who has been managing the process, has submitted a recommendation to agency Chairman Ajit Pai to resolve the dispute, with a decision expected by the end of the year.

What's next: The FCC recently gave the green light to start initial CBRS deployment in part of airwaves, as soon as equipment lab testing is complete.

Go deeper: Bloomberg examines Google's involvement in the CBRS effort.
5g
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Twitter’s insane mind-control power
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

Facebook might have more people more connected for more hours than any company in human history. But it’s Twitter, with a fraction of the users, that controls what the media and much of America think about, talk about — and try to censor.

The big picture: Twitter’s awesome power was on full display on Labor Day as The New Yorker, which had proudly announced Steve Bannon as a headliner at the annual New Yorker Festival, promptly retreated when liberals on Twitter revolted, including other festival speakers who vowed to withdraw.
Twitter
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Trump sets up rule-of-law crisis
Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

With a tweet complaining that indictments of two congressmen "by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department" put GOP seats at risk, President Trump guaranteed a confirmation minefield for any future attorney general.

Driving the news: Trump tweeted, referring to indictments of Rep. Chris Collins (N.Y.) for insider trading and Rep. Duncan Hunter (Calif.) for misusing campaign funds: "Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job Jeff."
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Axios41 mins ago
Chaos in the Senate as Kavanaugh confirmation hearings begin
Protestor at Kavanaugh hearing
Photo: Mark Wilson via Getty Images

Twenty-two protestors have been arrested for causing disruptions during Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing Tuesday, while Democrats attempted to delay the process over concerns about a lack of transparency and questions about President Trump's legal troubles.

The bottom line: Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who was forced to give his opening statement an hour later than scheduled, refused to allow a vote on the Democrats' motion to adjourn and has pledged to continue the confirmation hearing despite interruptions.
Brett Kavanaugh
Alexi McCammond51 mins ago
The homestretch of the never-ending midterm campaign
Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

Labor Day has traditionally marked the official start of midterm Congressional campaigning as voters settle into their fall routines and start watching more TV (where they could see a deluge of campaign ads). Not anymore.

The bottom line: Democrats have been protesting since President Trump's election. The Democratic Party jumped in early this cycle to harness that energy into voting, but Republicans were watching that too — forcing both parties to start their midterm campaigning earlier than ever before.
2018 midterm elections
David McCabe, Ina Fried1 hour ago
Facebook and Twitter suit up for hearings on the Hill
Two smartphones show the logos for Facebook and Twitter on their respective screens.
Photo: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

On Wednesday, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee to make the case they've learned their lesson on foreign election interference — and it won't happen again.

Flashback, a year ago this week: "Facebook has told authorities investigating Russia's influence on the 2016 election about thousands of ads likely linked to Russia, many of which were connected to 'inauthentic' accounts and pages and focused on drawing attention to divisive social issues."
Big Tech backlash
Axios5 hours ago
Big Tech's big week on Capitol Hill
IPhones showing Facebook and Twitter logos
Photo: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is already in Washington, and will make stops on Capitol Hill today ahead of twin hearings tomorrow — first a duet with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg before the Senate Intelligence Committee, then solo for the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Why it matters: The testimonies come amid increasingly united outcry from Republicans over what they see as censorship of conservatism, as well as questions about hacking and foreign influence campaigns ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Big Tech backlash
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The middle class gets almost half of U.S. safety-net payments

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Data: Congressional Budget Office; Chart: Chris Canipe/Axios

Why it matters: As wages have remained stagnant, more people can't afford middle-class basics, and income inequality grows, the middle class is increasingly relying on the federal safety net, according to the new report by Brookings Institutions' Future of the Middle Class Initiative. "It is a mistake, now, to think of welfare as something just for the poor," Richard Reeves, the report's author tells Axios.
Entitlements
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Big Tech's central role in opioid epidemic debate
Food and Drug Administrator Scott Gottlieb
FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Tech companies are cooperating with federal officials to crack down on illegal opioids being sold on the internet. But that doesn't mean congressional action on the issue is out of the question.

What we're watching: Silicon Valley is trying to defuse tensions with the Food and Drug Administration, and FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's comments that tech is cooperating show their efforts may be working. But some lawmakers say they’re open to regulation for the platforms if the problem persists.
Opioid epidemic
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The rise of cybersecurity insurance
An illustration of a flaming meteor headed for a laptop, over a purple background.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

All companies are potential victims of cyber attacks, and buying insurance is one way many are trying to manage that risk.

Why it matters: Companies hit by attacks are exposed to incredible costs — Equifax lost $4 billion in stock market value in just a week — so companies are increasingly looking beyond traditional safety nets to avoid financial ruin.
Cybersecurity