The Chinese Communist Party has spent decades working to undermine U.S. global technological leadership. From predatory subsidies that advantage Chinese firms to forced technology transfers that threaten American intellectual property, China’s goal is to corner and control global markets.
The strategy extends to global wireless communications standards, where China is demanding wireless spectrum rules that harm American equipment producers, aid Chinese firms such as Huawei, and risk U.S. national security. Shockingly, the European Union just caved to China’s demands, and some U.S. voices are now urging the Trump administration to do the same. Thankfully, President Donald Trump is standing strong and defending America’s clear national interests in wireless spectrum policy.
Wireless spectrum refers to the radio frequencies that underpin all modern communications technology. China wants every country, including the United States and our allies, to prioritize bandwidth for exclusive, licensed use. Such licenses almost always go to cellular carriers, which benefits China because Huawei is the undisputed global leader in cellular infrastructure.
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The U.S. government views Huawei as an “unacceptable risk” with a documented history of spying on its customers, but many other countries continue to allow its hardware into 5G networks. So more exclusive licensing in overseas markets equals more opportunities for China to expand its manufacturing lead in telecom equipment—and expand the CCP’s surveillance footprint in the process.
Alarmingly, the European Commission just gave Beijing’s agenda a shot in the arm. On Nov. 12, it recommended that the EU devote a large part of the very desirable 6 GHz frequency band to cellular companies for exclusive licensed use. This opens the door for Chinese manufacturers to dominate the deployment of the continent’s next-generation communications infrastructure. Putting aside the massive and obvious security concerns, this decision also ensures that Europe will fall even further behind on innovation in advanced fields such as next-generation Wi-Fi.
The U.S., by contrast, has taken a wiser path that plays to our strengths. In 2020, during the first Trump administration, the Federal Communications Commission devoted all of the 6 GHz band to unlicensed use. The result has been an explosion of innovation, powering dramatic advances in both Wi-Fi technology and everything that relies on it — from telehealth to industrial automation to precision agriculture. One recent study found that by 2027, this prescient FCC decision will be responsible for creating $1.2 trillion in additional value for the U.S. economy. Wi-Fi now carries between 80% and 90% of all mobile traffic nationwide.
The Trump administration’s 2020 decision was a clear-cut win for American interests. Unlike cellular infrastructure, which is dominated by CCP-aligned Chinese manufacturers, U.S. companies are the global leaders in Wi-Fi infrastructure. Domestic manufacturers have also sold billions of dollars’ worth of equipment to foreign buyers that followed the American model of unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band, creating significant U.S. jobs and wealth. If more companies follow our lead, that means more export opportunities for U.S. manufacturers.
Europe’s decision is the latest in a pattern of misguided measures that are turning the continent into a technological backwater. From digital services taxes to the overreaching AI act, the EU is developing an allergy to investment and innovation —and its decision on 6 GHz now risks Europe falling further behind on next-generation Wi-Fi. Worse, Europe has given China more ammunition to push for Huawei-friendly standards at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027.
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For years, the U.S. has fought to promote unlicensed use of the 6 GHz band precisely to counter China’s malign influence. Unfortunately, Europe’s decision has led some U.S. actors to demand that the Trump administration adopt the same self-defeating strategy. CTIA, which represents U.S. cellular companies, praised the European decision and has called on the FCC to revisit its 2020 decision opening up the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi. While CTIA has every right to earnestly serve its members’ interests, the fact is that its position undermines U.S. interests – opposing one of the first Trump administration signature telecom successes while advancing Communist China’s global export agenda.
The Trump administration, thankfully, seems committed to defending U.S. leadership. It’s holding the line on defending the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi wireless spectrum and on pushing more nations to adopt the U.S. model at WRC-27. This isn’t just a matter of domestic economic strength; it’s also a matter of national security and ultimately, America’s global leadership.
Evan Swarztrauber is Principal at CorePoint Strategies and a former policy adviser at the Federal Communications Commission during the first Trump administration.
