According to sources at The Hill, the White House is expected to address the deployment of the 5G network, as well as artificial intelligence, as regards technological advancement and application to the national transportation network.
The plan will offer the "first deliverables" of the National Quantum Initiative Act, a law passed by the previous Congress that laid out an initiative to improve U.S. efforts on quantum technology.
Evidently, there has been a long-standing concern within the federal government that China is besting U.S. research efforts to implement AI and 5G on a large scale.
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday reported the White House plan is expected to include executive orders from President Trump that will funnel resources toward improving AI and 5G technology. During his State of the Union address, Trump noted that he supports investing in the "industries of the future," reportedly a nod to White House efforts on AI, 5G deployment and other tech-based initiatives to remain competitive with China.
During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing this week, several senators raised concerns that China could win the race to 5G, and that Chinese telecom giants such as ZTE and Huawei could hack any U.S. 5G technology. "We must be certain that there is a secure supply chain backing up our 5G system," Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the committee, said during her opening remarks. "We cannot tolerate a leaky valve or a back-door into these networks.” She then called on the Trump administration to provide Congress with "a real, quantifiable 5G threat assessment."
