President Donald Trump took office pledging to tame inflation and ease the burden on American families. What a difference a year makes — “We’re bringing those prices down rapidly,” he said. And indeed, under his leadership, inflation has fallen sharply.
One of the key reasons is wireless. America’s innovative wireless providers aren’t just stabilizing prices; they’re driving them lower while delivering competitive choice, more data, and better services.
Since Trump took office, wireless service has been down by more than 6%, with smartphones 17% cheaper. Meanwhile, speeds are 50% faster, and Americans used a record amount of data last year, 32% more than the year before. In most sectors of the economy, higher performance comes with higher prices. In wireless, intense competition is producing the opposite result.
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The same dynamic is now reshaping home broadband. 5G is bringing real competition to a market long dominated by a small number of cable monopolies. Consumers desperate for choice finally can vote with their wallets — and they are. Over the past three years, 99% of new broadband subscribers chose 5G. This competition from wireless has lowered prices 3% over the past year. And independent studies project billions in additional consumer savings in the years ahead.
None of this is an accident. It’s thanks to Trump’s long-standing commitment to the free-market policies needed to encourage wireless investment and competition — expanding spectrum availability, making it easier to build infrastructure, and providing regulatory certainty.
I was proud to implement Trump’s vision for 5G leadership during his first administration. Under his direction, we freed up record amounts of commercial spectrum for licensed use. We streamlined outdated infrastructure rules that slowed deployment. We relied on transparent, market-based spectrum auctions to allocate airwaves efficiently.
Since then, wireless providers have invested more than $200 billion in American networks, averaging over $30 billion annually. That private capital built world-class infrastructure and strengthened competitive pressures that continue to lower prices today. Wireless is now the second largest source of private investment in the U.S. economy, contributing hundreds of billions of dollars to GDP and supporting millions of jobs.
Since returning to office, Trump has once again elevated wireless leadership to a national priority. Thanks to his leadership, the agency’s spectrum auction authority was restored, the administration is aggressively pushing spectrum to market, and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s Build America agenda is cutting through red tape that slows down the buildout of wireless networks. These steps send a clear signal: the United States is committed to the market-based policies that unlock private investment. And it sends a signal to China and other rivals: the U.S. will continue to lead the world in wireless. Wireless providers are rising to the challenge, expanding investments and innovating to drive prices lower.
The lesson is clear. When policymakers make more licensed spectrum available, streamline deployment rules, and allow markets to function, investment follows. That drives competition. And when companies compete, consumers benefit.
There is still work to do. Wireless traffic is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, driven by artificial intelligence, 5G home broadband, and other emerging technologies. Enabling consumers to benefit from these innovations at affordable price points requires us to stand firm on the successful policies of the past: bringing sufficient spectrum to market and modernizing permitting processes so tomorrow’s networks are not built with yesterday’s rules.
It also means taking a long, hard look at how government policies contribute to higher costs. Today, on average, $1 out of every $4 you spend on wireless service consists of state and local taxes and fees. Many communities bear an even greater burden. For instance, a family of four in Chicago will pay $430 a year in taxes on wireless service alone. As providers compete to lower prices, public policy shouldn’t effectively raise them by adding surcharges.
Wireless stands out in today’s economy for a simple reason. Competition works. Private investment works. Smart, light-touch regulation works.
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If affordability is the measure, wireless shows what is possible when we get the policy framework right.
And American consumers are better off because of it.
Ajit Pai served as the Federal Communications Commission chairman during the first Trump administration and is the current CTIA CEO.
