A subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced proposals that lawmakers say will enhance the security of American telecom networks and protect U.S. vital infrastructure from relying on equipment sourced from adversaries. The Communications and Technology Subcommittee forwarded four bills to the full committee last week.
“China is aggressively trying to overtake the United States as the global leader in communications and technology,” said Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH). “They export their heavily subsidized equipment to developing countries, try to dominate international standards forums, and can exploit security vulnerabilities in equipment to spy on Americans and disrupt our networks. As Americans increasingly rely on connectivity in everyday life, the security of the equipment they use becomes paramount. Given the known vulnerabilities in many technologies produced by companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, it is imperative to take steps to mitigate the widespread availability of this equipment,” Latta explained.
Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) said: “Our communications networks play an essential role across almost every sector of our economy and touch many parts of Americans’ daily lives. Robust networks allow Americans to have easier access to doctors, teachers, and job opportunities. They are also vital to our nations’ critical infrastructure, public safety systems, supply chains, and government functions. As technology advances, the role they play will only become greater.”
But he warned growing reach has made U.S. communications networks, and the devices that run on them, targets that face constant threats from amateur hackers and adversarial nations. That’s why the lawmakers acted on measures to protect America’s networks from security threats, he added.
Bills that passed out of the subcommittee are:
- H.R. 2864, the Countering CCP Drones Act, led by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and co-sponsored by Mike Gallagher (R-WI), adds telecommunications or video surveillance equipment produced by Shenzhen DaJiang Innovations Sciences and Technologies 12 Company Limited Technologies to the list of covered communications equipment under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019.
- H.R. 820, the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act, led by Stefanik, and co-sponsored by House China Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), directs the FCC to publish a list of entities that hold authorizations, licenses, or other grants of authority issued by the Commission and that have certain foreign ownership. This includes any equity interest owned by a covered country, including The People’s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.
- H.R. 1513, the Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhancing Networks (FUTURE) Networks Act, led by Subcommittee Ranking Member Matsui (D-CA) and co-sponsored by Bill Johnson (R-OH). This bill will establish a task force at the FCC to study sixth-generation, or 6G, technologies and identify potential supply chain and cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
- H.R. 7589, Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act, led by Latta, directs the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to conduct a study of the national security risks posed by routers, modems, and devices that combine a modem and router that are designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a covered country.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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