LARRY: GOT IT.
THANKS VERY MUCH, HILLARY
VAUGHN.
JOINING US NOW, A MAN WHO FOUGHT
SUCCESSFULLY FOR FREE AND FAIR
INTERNET AND FREE SPEECH, AND
MASSIVE INCREASE IN 5G SPECTRUM
WHICH IS GOING TO BE VERY, VERY
IMPORTANT, DURING THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, MY GREAT PAL,
FORMER FCC CHAIRMAN AJIT PAI.
GREAT TO SEE YOU.
LET ME, QUICK THOUGHT ON THIS,
THIS BUSINESS, CENSORSHIP,
SECTION 230 WHICH WOULD REDUCE
THE LIABILITY SHIELD, AND
ANTITRUST CASES FROM DOJ AND
PRESUMABLY FEDERAL TRADE
COMMISSION, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
ALL OF THIS?
>> IT’S VERY INTERESTING.
OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS
WE’VE SEEN POLICYMAKERS AND
REGULATORS LOOKING AT ALL OF THE
TOOLS IN THE TOOL BOX FROM A
POLICY PERSPECTIVE TO ADDRESS
WHAT THEY CONSIDER TO BE
POTENTIALLY ANTI-COMPETITIVE
CONDUCT OR CONDUCT THAT IS NOT
NECESSARILY IN FAVOR OF A FREE
AND OPEN INTERNET.
THAT IS WHY YOU SEE THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL DESIGNATE MERRICK
GARLAND GETTING QUESTIONS WILL
YOU PERSIST IN THE ANTITRUST
CASE AGAINST SOME OF THESE TECH
COMPANIES?
LAWMAKERS TALK ABOUT REVISING
SECTION 230.
AGENCIES LIKE THE FEDERAL TRADE
COMMISSION CONSIDERING WHAT
CONSTITUTES A UNFAIR AND
DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICE THIS
SPRINGS FROM THIS CONCERN,
BIPARTISAN CONCERN IN
WASHINGTON.
THEY HAVE A LOT OF POWER, ABLE
TO DECIDE WHAT CONSUMERS SEE AND
DON’T SEE.
WHEN THERE IS NO TRANSPARENCY,
WHICH THERE ISN’T, THERE IS NO
REQUIREMENT FOR THEM TO BE
TRANSPARENT, THAT INVOKES A LOT
OF QUESTIONS AMONG POLICYMAKERS
AND.
LARRY: AJIT, YOU SPENT FOUR
YEARS IN THAT ARENA.
JUST QUICKLY, THESE BIG TECH
COMPANIES SPENT A FORTUNE ON
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES.
WILL THAT REALLY MATTER IN YOUR
JUDGMENT?
>> IT DEPENDS ON THE PARTICULAR
AGENCY, AND THE PERSON WHO LEADS
THAT AGENCY.
BASED ON THE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS I HEARD FROM THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL DESIGNATE, I’M
CONFIDENT HE WILL RENDER A
INDEPENDENT JUDGMENT.
I DO HOPE HE WELL CONDUCT THE
INVESTIGATION AND CONDUCT IT
VERY FAIRLY.
LOOK AT FACTS, LOOK AT THE LAW,
RENDER A DECISION FREE FROM
POLITICAL INFLUENCE.
THAT IS EXACTLY NEEDED
REGARDLESS WHO IS IN CHARGE WHAT
PARTY AFFILIATION THEY MIGHT
HAVE.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WHEN IT
COMES TO ANTITRUST CASES.
LARRY: YOU’RE RIGHT.
THERE IS MORE INTEGRITY IN THAT
PROCESS THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE
HAVE.
AJIT, YOU KNOW I CAN’T HELP
MYSELF.
YOU AND I WORKED TOGETHER
MUSCLED A PRETTY GOOD 5G
SPECTRUM SALES PROGRAM.
>> YOU BET WE DID.
LARRY: TRYING TO KEEP AMERICA IN
THE LEAD.
WE HAD THE BACKING OF PRESIDENT
TRUMP.
WHENEVER SOMETHING WAS AMBIGUOUS
I WOULD HAUL YOU INTO THE OVAL.
WE WOULD HAVE A NICE
CONVERSATION.
YOU AND I ALMOST INVARIABLY WON
WHICH IS COOL.
NOW, LET ME JUST STATE, THIS 5G
BUSINESS, PLEASE, TO MY VIEWERS
THIS IS NOT BORING, THIS IS VERY
IMPORTANT.
IT WILL SPEED UP THE ENTIRE
INTERNET PROCESS T WOULD ALSO
PROTECT OUR SECURITY.
THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT AGAINST
CHINA.
AJIT, FIRST OF ALL, IS CHINA
REALLY BEATING US IN 5G AS SOME
PEOPLE SAY?
>> NO, THEY ARE NOT.
IF YOU LOOK AT JUST THE RAW
FACTS, THE OBJECTIVE FACTS, THE
FCC OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS
FREED UP A HUGE AMOUNT OF
SPECTRUM FOR 5G ALONG WITH
COLLABORATION OF COURSE WITH THE
WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL ECONOMIC
COUNCIL.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF
OUR EFFORTS AGAINST A LOT OF
SHORTSIGHTED OPPOSITION AT THE
FCC AND CAPITOL HILL IN MANY
CASES.
MORE IN TERMS OF WIRELESS
INFRASTRUCTURE.
OVER OUR FOUR YEARS WE SAW
87,000 CELL SITES DEPLOYED,
COMPARED TO 7,000 IN THE FOUR
YEARS BEFORE THAT.
MASSIVE INCREASE IN
INFRASTRUCTURE.
HUGE INFLUX IN CAP-EX SPENT ON
FIBER, NECESSARY FOR 5G TRAFFIC
TO BE CARRIED IN THE CORE OF THE
NETWORK.
WE SEE COMPANIES SPENDING A LOT
OF MONEY ON SPECTRUM ASSETS AND
INFRASTRUCTURE TO BUILD STATE OF
THE ART 5G NETWORKS.
I’M CONFIDENT, NOTWITHSTANDING
THE HEADLINES MANY WHICH ARE
POLITICALLY MOTIVATED, IF YOU
LOOK AT THE OBJECTIVE FACTS, THE
U.S. IS LEADING IN 5G, WE’RE
POISED TO LEAD INTO THE FUTURE,
SEC, WHITE HOUSE, OTHER AGENCIES
KEEP THE PEDAL TO THE METAL.
LARRY: THAT IS THE THING,
PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU AND I, WE
WANT AD FREE ENTERPRISE
APPROACH.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
LARRY: AND YOU WRESTLED THE
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, THIS IS VERY
HEROIC, YOU SHOULD GET A MEDAL
OF FREEDOM TODAY.
THEY ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO SELL
AS I RECALL 100 MEGAHERTZ OF MID
BAND SPECTRUM WHICH WILL GET OUT
INTO THE RURAL AREAS AMONG OTHER
THINGS.
AND JUST LAST POINT, FOR THE GET
YOUR TAKE, WE PUT A LOT OF
EXPORT CONTROLS ON SENSITIVE
TECHNOLOGY AND WE’RE BASICALLY
KEEPING HUAWEI OUT OF THE U.S.
SO WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING NOW?
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?
WHAT WOULD YOU WANT THE BIDENS
TO DO HERE?
>> I WOULD SAY IN OFFICE WE PUT
IN PLACE THE STEPS NECESSARY FOR
THE FCC FOR THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION TO HOLD TWO
CRITICAL MID BAND OPTIONS THIS
YEAR.
THE FOUR GIGAHERTZ AS YOU
MENTIONED THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE.
THIS MID BAND SPECTRUM IS
CRITICAL FOR PROMOTING AMERICAN
LEADERSHIP IN 5G.
WE ALSO TOOK VERY AGGRESSIVE
ACTION ON THE SECURITY FRONT.
FOR EXAMPLE, BANNING COMPANIES
FROM USING FCC FUND ON SERVICES
OR EQUIPMENT FROM HUAWEI OR CTE.
I MADE SURE OUR INTERNATIONAL
COUNTERPARTS HAD A RISK-BASED
FRAMEWORK THAT WOULD PREVENT
INSECURE EQUIPMENT FROM HUAWEI
AND CTE GETTING INTO THEIR
NETWORK.
I HOPE THIS IS NOT A PARTISAN
ISSUE AT ALL, WE NEED THE SEC,
CONGRESS, EVERYBODY, IN THE
CURRENT ADMINISTRATION FOCUS ON
5G, THE SPECTRUM ASSET, SECURITY
ISSUE.
IF THEY DO THAT AMERICA WILL BE
POISED TO LEAD WELL INTO THE
FUTURE.
LARRY: AJIT, LAST ONE, WE MADE
PROGRESS ON THE INTERNATIONAL
FRONT.
WE HAD A LOT OF HELP FROM
NATIONAL SECURITY, ROBERT
O’BRIEN AND POMPEII FROM STATE.
>> YEAH.
LARRY: JAPAN, INDIA, KEEPING
HUAWEI OUT.
BRITAIN AND THE UK TURNED
AGAINST HUAWEI.
FRANCE, SPAIN, IT LOOKS LIKE
WE’LL WIN THAT ONE TOO?
>> I HAVE GOT TO SAY WHEN WE
STARTED DOING THIS, LARRY, AS
YOU KNOW, A LOT OF SKEPTICS SAY
IT WILL NOT WORK.
WE’RE NOT GETTING A LOT OF
RESULTS.
BUT BY THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS
WE SAW COUNTRIES AND COMPANIES
WITHIN THOSE COUNTRIES MAKING
THE DECISION TO EMBRACE THE VERY
SAME SECURITY FRAMEWORK WE’VE
BEEN ADVOCATING.
AS YOU MENTIONED SOME OF THOSE
COUNTRIES IT IS CRITICAL.
THAT MOMENTUM IS CONTINUING.
IT WILL GO INTO THE FUTURE.
ALONG WITH SOME OF THE
COMPANIES, LEADING IN 5G,
MAINTAINING STRONG SECURITY
PRESENCE.
YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH
WORLDS.
LARRY: THEY’RE GOING TO KEEP
MAKING A FORTUNE ON THESE
AUCTIONS WHICH IS ALSO PROOF OF
THE PUDDING.
THAT IS WHAT THE MARKET WANTS.
YEAH, FOLKS, I WOULD SAY,
LISTENING TO AJIT PAI WHO WAS
THE BEST OF THE BEST AT THE FCC,
THIS 5G BUSINESS IS KIND OF A
METAPHOR FOR AMERICA’S TECH
LOGICAL LEAD, NOT ONLY AT HOME
BUT AROUND THE WORLD.
AND FOR AMERICA’S TECHNOLOGICAL
NATIONAL SECURITY STRENGTH.
KEEP YOUR EYE ON 5G, FOLKS.