Ex-FCC Chief Ajit Pai: Wireless Competition Is Driving Prices Down
Ajit Pai, now CEO of CTIA, says spectrum policy and private investment are lowering costs and boosting performance.
WASHINGTON, April 10, 2026 – Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said competition in the wireless industry is helping lower prices for consumers while improving service, arguing the model could guide broader broadband and economic policy.
“America’s innovative wireless providers aren’t just stabilizing prices; they’re driving them lower while delivering competitive choice, more data, and better services,” Pai said in the opinion piece on April 8.
Writing in the Washington Examiner, Pai pointed to declining wireless costs alongside rising performance. He said wireless service prices have fallen by more than 6% in recent years, while smartphone prices dropped 17%. Over the same period, network speeds increased roughly 50% and consumer data usage rose 32%.
