You may have missed it, but a couple of weeks ago the FCC Verizon shill Ajit Pai and his Republican cronies voted to steal away an estimated $2 billion from municipalities and states by limiting the amount they could charge telecom companies, like Verizon, to build out their wireless 5G high-speed services. Telecoms, having reneged on tax-subsidized promises to robustly build out America’s high-speed broadband access, are now promising that all of those problems will disappear with over-hyped 5G wireless services. Pai and his two other Republican dunces on the FCC argued that in ripping off local coffers by limiting how much localities could charge for the permits to basically attach small radios to existing structures such as telephone poles to transmit signals, companies like Verizon and AT&T would use those savings to build out their 5G infrastructures! About that …!
But in an earnings call last week, Verizon CFO Matt Ellis told investors that the FCC decision won't have any effect on the speed of its 5G deployment. Verizon also said that it is reducing overall capital expenditures—despite a variety of FCC decisions, including the net neutrality repeal that the FCC claimed would increase broadband network investment.