WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and John Thune, R-S.D., chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, released the following statements after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced his C-band proposal for 5G at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation:

“Winning the race to 5G requires having additional spectrum available in order to deploy advanced networks,” said Wicker. “I have advocated giving the commission the flexibility to get this done quickly while protecting taxpayers.”

“One of the few areas of agreement in Washington is that the United States cannot afford to lose the race to 5G,” said Thune. “Chairman Pai’s announcement today reflects the principles of the 5G Spectrum Act, legislation Chairman Wicker and I introduced that would help ensure the United States leads the world in the 5G revolution. I applaud Chairman Pai and the FCC for their work on preparing a C-band auction that ensures this critical mid-band spectrum is made available quickly and efficiently.”

Last May, Wicker and Thune sent a letter to Chairman Pai urging the FCC to redouble its efforts to make mid-band spectrum available for 5G.

The committee exercises jurisdiction over the FCC.