The federal government and private industry are preparing for the next generation of wireless technology, known as the fifth generation of mobile communication networks, or 5G. 5G is expected to introduce national security risks as malicious actors seek to exploit these new 5G technologies. In March 2020, the White House issued the National Strategy to Secure 5G of the United States of America (5

Since 1998, the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) E-rate program has been a significant source of technology funding for schools and libraries (applicants) to obtain affordable broadband and telecommunications services. Other program participants include service providers and E-rate consultants that assist applicants and service providers with the application and funding processes. GAO id

Approximately every 10 years since the early 1980s, wireless carriers have deployed a new generation of wireless communication technology. This decade is no different, as carriers are now developing and deploying 5G networks, which offer greater speed and higher data capacity than previous generations of mobile wireless networks. Carriers in the United States are currently deploying "hybrid" 5G,

Telecommunications industry and federal government investments have expanded access to broadband in the United States. From 2009 through 2017, the industry made capital investments of about $795 billion, including investments in broadband infrastructure, according to U.S. Census Bureau survey data. Federal investments totaled about $47.3 billion to target broadband infrastructure for rural areas

The public comment process: Agencies engage in three basic phases during the rulemaking process under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA): 1) they process comments submitted by the public, which may include identifying duplicate comments, 2) analyze and consider all relevant and substantive comments, and 3) identify, as appropriate, rule revisions that may be made in response to the comments s

As GAO reported in September 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) bolstered the capacity and performance of the Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) to reduce the risk of future service disruptions. FCC also implemented numerous information security program and technical controls for three systems that were intended to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of

The Technology What is it? 5G is a suite of fifth-generation wireless technologies that has the potential to greatly improve mobile communication in several ways. It may lead to faster and more responsive signals from cell phones and other devices. Moreover, it could deliver more reliable connections, higher energy efficiency, the ability to accommodate more devices, and faster network response t

In 2018, U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) retail facilities, such as post offices, generated about $10.5 billion in revenue and cost approximately $5 billion to operate, making them profitable overall. While such facilities accounted for about 15 percent of USPS's total fiscal year 2018 revenues, and about 7 percent of its total costs, stakeholders identified other benefits that retail facilities pro

Examples of federal laws and regulations that apply to Native American cultural resources include: (1) The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). In August 2018, GAO reported that NAGPRA prohibits the intentional removal from, or excavation of, Native American cultural items from federal or tribal lands unless a permit has been issued and other requirements are met. NAGP

The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) governs the process by which many federal agencies develop and issue regulations, which includes the public comment process. In June 2019, GAO found that Regulations.gov and agency-specific comment websites collect some identity information—such as name, email, or address—from commenters who choose to provide it during the public comment process. The APA