WASHINGTON — Federal regulators and major telecommunications companies pushed back on Monday against a proposal circulating in the White House that would put the government in control of a next-generation mobile broadband network to address economic and security concerns related to China.

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, said he opposed the idea. He argued that the federal government taking control of developing 5G networks, as the mobile technology is called, could hurt the private sector and the economy.

“The market, not the government, is best positioned to drive innovation and investment,” Mr. Pai, a Republican, said in a statement. “Any federal effort to construct a nationalized 5G network would be a costly and counterproductive distraction from the policies we need to help the United States win the 5G future.”

USTelecom, the trade group that represents telecommunications and cable broadband providers, said any government-run plan would set back the industry.