Cybersecurity Policy Report, Busy House Approves Four Communications Security Bills, (Sep 10, 2024)
The FCC would have to publish a list of untrustworthy foreign equipment vendors whose gear might pose a risk to the security of U.S. communications networks under legislation that cleared the House yesterday.
By voice vote, the House passed four communications security bills, including the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act (H.R. 820, 118th Cong. (2024)), which would require the FCC to publish a list of companies that hold Commission authorizations, licenses, or other grants of authority and have ownership or other links to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, or Venezuela. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.).
“The FACT Act will require the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list of companies who both hold FCC authorizations and have any ownership by foreign adversarial governments including China, Russia, Iran, and others,” Rep. Stefanik said on the House floor.
“This public disclosure will help to shine a light on the malign access and influence Communist Chinese companies have inside our tech and telecom markets. We cannot allow companies controlled by the CCP or our other foreign adversaries to have unfettered and unknown access to our telecommunications infrastructure,” she added.
The House also passed Rep. Stefanik’s Countering CCP Drones Act (H.R. 2864, 118th Cong. (2024)), which would require the FCC to add drones made by China-based SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. to its “covered list” of products banned from U.S. communications networks.
“America has been flooded with drones manufactured by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]-controlled drone company DJI. Allowing artificially cheap DJI drones to monopolize our skies has decimated American drone manufacturing and given our greatest strategic adversary eyes in our skies,” Rep. Stefanik said.
Other communications security bills that cleared the House yesterday include the Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act (H.R. 7589, 118th Cong. (2024)) and the Securing Global Telecommunications Act (H.R. 4741, 118th Cong. (2024)).
HR 7589 would direct the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to conduct a study of the national security risks posed by routers, modems, and devices that combine a modem and router. It was introduced by communications and technology subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R., Ohio).
“Bad actors can exploit vulnerabilities in routers to infect users’ computers, access their information, or disrupt their networks,” Rep. Latta noted on the House floor. “National security agencies, including the director of national intelligence, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security, have reported on the threat posed by the vulnerability in routers and how some Communist Chinese Party-sponsored hackers have used these vulnerabilities to launch attacks.”
HR 4741 would direct the State Department to develop a strategy to promote the use of secure telecommunications infrastructure in foreign nations and report to Congress on the department’s plan to counter efforts by China and Russia to promote their agendas at the International Telecommunication Union. It was introduced by Rep. Kathy Manning (D., N.C.).
“The devices we use every day—cellphones, tablets, and computers—connect to increasingly advanced mobile networks that depend upon a nearly invisible set of internationally agreed-upon standards,” Rep. Manning explained on the House floor.
“However, in recent years, our adversaries and competitors, Russia and China, have tried to maximize their influence over international bodies like the International Telecommunication Union, the ITU, to shape new technology standards to their liking,” she said.
“Our adversaries believe they can achieve undue influence over international telecom infrastructure and technical standards. This bill would help stop them,” she added.
The House had also been scheduled to consider the Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhanced (FUTURE) Networks Act (H.R. 1513, 118th Cong. (2024)), which would direct the FCC to establish a 6G Task Force (CPR, Sept. 5). But the House ran out of time for HR 1513, which was introduced by communications and technology subcommittee ranking member Doris Matsui (D., Calif.).
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