U.S. Government Is Tripping Over Itself in Race to Dominate 5G Technology

President Trump stood in front of hardhat-wearing cell-tower climbers this spring in the White House and declared deploying a superfast 5G wireless network a national priority. “My administration is focused on freeing up as much wireless spectrum as needed,” Mr. Trump said, referring to the key public resource—airwaves—that makes 5G networks and all the technological wonders they promise possible. But behind the scenes, there is as much fracture as focus. As America races to deploy next-generation wireless technology, several arms of the government are at odds over how to allocate space on the radio-frequency spectrum for 5G.