Here's What You Need To Know About That 'Nationalized 5G' Proposal

Ajit Pai, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said he opposed the "costly and counterproductive distraction" from the policies needed to put the U.S. at the forefront of 5G--the upcoming new generation of wireless broadband technology. (It's worth noting that U.S. carriers are already preparing to roll out 5G, based on already-agreed standards, this year.)

Politicians from both parties rushed to condemn the proposal--"We're not Venezuela," said House Energy & Commerce Committee chair Greg Walden--as did telecom companies.

Within a day of the original leak, Recode reported White House officials as saying the leaked document was "outdated" and the nationalized 5G network plan "probably might never be."

"There are a lot of things on the table," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. "Again, these are the very earliest stages of the discussion period, and there's been absolutely no decision made other than...the need for a secure network."