The following statement is attributed to Michael Petricone, SVP, government and regulatory affairs, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), regarding today's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote to streamline 5G infrastructure:

"5G networks in America are key for powering the next generation of innovation, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and smart cities. Today's vote to streamline small cell deployment helps our nation in the global race for 5G leadership.

"At the same time, the White House's latest round of tariffs will throttle the U.S. rollout of 5G technologies. Tariff-driven cost increases are a tax on 5G that will dramatically slow infrastructure deployment. Increasing U.S. 5G equipment costs actually helps China in an area where the U.S. should be leading the world.

CTA's latest sales and forecast research projects U.S. sales of 5G-enabled smartphones will exceed two million devices next year, with triple-digit sales increasing through 2021.