The recent infrastructure package includes $65 billion for broadband access, but lobbyists for the wireless industry inserted language into the bill that requires *any* new priority broadband project to “support the deployment of 5G…” (see section 60102 (a) (2) I (ii) (II) on page 756).
This means your tax dollars spent on 5G deployments! Thanks to our friends at Americans for Responsible Technology for alerting us to this 5G mistake...
Legislators, eager to help fix the digital divide, probably didn’t notice this or if they did they are mistaken. As we all know, 5G will not fix the digital divide, it is part of the problem!
5G is slow, expensive, unnecessary, unreliable, hackable, wasteful, and will need to be updated in the very near future to keep pace with the superior service and speed of wired broadband (fiber optics).
Luckily in Hawaii we have Hawaiian Telcom, a company committed to a real solution that will actually close the digital divide: They are building out fiber to our homes. Since 2010 they have invested over half-a billion dollars in building a fiber network across the state.
Call your Reps in Washington now and ask them to fix the 5G mistake.
Hawaii State Senators:
Brian Schatz 202-224-3934
Maize Hirono 202-224-6361
Hawaii Representatives:
All islands (except for south central Oahu/Honolulu): Kai Kahele 202-225-4906
Honolulu and south central Oahu: Ed Case 202-225-2726
The main switchboard number for all reps is: 202-224-3121
Phone call is best. If you call after hours just leave your message...
Sample Message:
Aloha, I’m (your name) a concerned constituent calling about the 5G mistake inserted into the recent infrastructure bill. It requires *any* new priority broadband project to “support the deployment of 5G.”
5G will not fix the digital divide, it is part of the problem! 5G is slow, expensive, unnecessary, unreliable, hackable, and wasteful. It’s an energy hog, and will need to be updated very quickly to keep pace with wired broadband (fiber optics), which is far superior.
Luckily in Hawaii we have Hawaiian Telcom, a company committed to a real solution that will actually work to close the digital divide: They are building out fiber to our homes and have invested over half a billion dollars so far in the fiber network.
Fiber is a faster, safer, greener, more secure wired broadband solution that will actually work to close the digital divide. Please fix the 5G mistake. 5G is not the solution to the digital divide. It's part of the problem. Thank you.
