Jamie Barnett was quoted on January 29, 2018, about a leaked White House memo that calls for the government to build and control a 5G next-generation wireless data service that drew backlash from industry groups, regulators, and even some within President Trump’s own administration.
Commenting on some cybersecurity experts saying China is dominating the market for networking equipment, Barnett said, "The U.S. intelligence community views network equipment made by Chinese companies with close ties to Beijing as insecure. For the United States to react by nationalizing part of its own telecom industry would 'represent an enormous shift in the way the communications business in the U.S. works.'"