At the 6G Summit in Brooklyn, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Olivia Trusty called for stronger US 6G leadership, urging early investment, international coordination, and a clear national strategy to keep the US at the forefront of the wireless revolution.
The US needs to move early to shape the future of 6G. Speaking at the summit on video, Trusty said strong planning and innovation are vital in staying driven in a the 6G competition.
Momentum for US 6G
Trusty stressed the need for early coordination in performance with a unified set of goals.
“The main lesson learned for me is we need to invest early and coordinate nationally,” she said. Linking this approach to strengthening the US China 6G position and avoiding dependency on rival technology ecosystems.
Trusty also called for US leadership in international standards bodies to promote openness and transparency. She explained that geopolitics 6G standards are now drawing how nations cooperate on technologies, adding that the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference in Shanghai will be an important moment for those discussions.
Verizon Chief Technology Officer, Yago Tenorio echoed this need for unity.
“This industry relies heavily on volumes and economies of scale, and it will be a huge value erosion to fragment the standard or have individual specifications,” he said, highlighting the urgent need for a stable 6G spectrum policy.
Spectrum and Security Challenge
Trusty celebrated recent legislative progress, citing how the “One Big Beautiful Bill” restores the FCC’s auction authority. To her, that would ease the opening of more frequencies for commercial use and be essential to the conduct of federal 6G research and development (R&D), necessary for innovation.
She also called for funding frameworks that are more predictable, pointing to the bill as a foundation for sustained US funding for 6G to drive private-sector innovation and workforce development.
Trusty emphasized that 6G private-public partnerships help provide secure supply chains and accelerate the deployment of new networks. When asked how important contiguous bandwidth, she said it would be essential for performance and speed.
Trusty went on to say this technical progress will help maintain the US lead in 6G as rival regions accelerate their own research. She further emphasized policy alignment and urged agencies and industry to work in unison under a single US strategy for 6G, one that fits both the needs of innovation and national security.
Trusty warned that the US needs to start preparing a 6G national strategy for the next global meeting of the standards bodies.
She added that progress should be coordinated, ensuring continued global 6G leadership through cooperation and readiness. With commercial rollout expected around 2030, time is limited.
There is an emphasis on consistent 6G development investment will be the foundation of future wireless innovation. Trusty’s concluding message captured the urgency of this moment where the US 6G future will depend not only on technology but trust, foresight, and collective action.
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