5G isn’t just about fast internet. It can help keep America safe.

Most Americans associate 5G technology with self-driving cars, virtual reality headsets, or super-fast internet. While all of these applications are exciting, they aren’t as critical to America as the national security implications of 5G. Winning the race to 5G will help ensure that our military communications are secure and that bad actors can’t hack or manipulate these communications.

The Chinese Communist Party understands very well the importance of 5G and is working hard to develop 5G technology before us to gain control of the market. A recent report by the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy bluntly summarizes the threat the CCP poses.

“Given the size of China’s economy, the demonstrable extent of its market-distorting policies, and China’s stated intent to dominate the industries of the future, China’s acts, policies, and practices of economic aggression now targeting the technologies and IP of the world threaten not only the U.S. economy but also the global innovation system as a whole.”

America must swiftly act to ensure we win the race to 5G. One of the biggest barriers to American development of 5G is antitrust law and enforcement, both domestically and internationally. A combination of domestic rulings and efforts by foreign governments have left many of our most innovative companies dangerously exposed. We need to respond to these anti-competitive measures to ensure American companies are competing on a level playing field.

Aggressive antitrust enforcement by both foreign and domestic forces threatens innovation by forcing American companies to engage in expensive litigation.  The lawsuits often result in these companies being unable to exercise their legally granted intellectual property rights. Qualcomm — one of the most active companies in the 5G space — is embroiled in a years-long legal battle that jeopardizes its business model and could force it to sell its groundbreaking wireless chips at a steep discount. The problems American technology companies face overseas are even more extensive, as foreign governments like China prioritize technological…