North Carolina residents will be among the first to have faster 5G broadband access thanks to legislation approved by lawmakers last year, making the state a leader in digital innovation, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said Wednesday in Charlotte.

“I remember Charlotte and the surrounding communities in the '80s and '90s and to see how quickly things are moving, the energy in this town and in this county, it’s a testament to the leadership on all kinds of levels, public and private sector,” Ajit Pai said during his talk with the Charlotte Chamber and public policy officials.

Pai especially praised last year’s legislation to install 5G broadband in the state. 5G, unlike 4G, doesn’t rely on big cell towers and instead uses millions of smaller transmitters, similar to telephone poles.