Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta (R-OH) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s Subcommittee markup of four bills to secure American communications networks from foreign adversaries.

CCP TECHNOLOGY THREATENS AMERICA

“We are considering four pieces of legislation to counter the significant threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to communications networks in the United States and around the world.

“The CCP poses a significant threat to American security and economic leadership. One significant area where we see this is in the communications sector.

“China is aggressively trying to overtake the United States as the global leader in communications and technology.

“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 CCP, it is imperative to take steps to mitigate the widespread availability of this equipment."

SECURING NETWORKS FROM FOREIGN ADVERSARIES 

“For years, this subcommittee has prioritized addressing the threat posed by the CCP. This includes passing the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, which created a program to rip-and-replace Huawei and ZTE equipment from our networks. 

“I am frustrated, however, that we still have not found a way to fully fund this program. 

“Today’s markup builds on our bipartisan tradition with four important pieces of legislation. 

“The first bill we are considering is H.R. 2864, the Countering CCP Drones Act, which would add equipment produced by DJI Technologies to the FCC’s covered list, effectively banning it from the United States. DJI is another company that has ties to the CCP, making their products a significant threat to our national security. 

“We will also consider H.R. 820, the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act, which would require the FCC to annually publish a list of entities with ties to China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia that hold an FCC license or authorization. 

“Next, we will consider H.R. 1513, the FUTURE Networks Act, introduced by the Ranking Member, the gentlelady from California, which would require the FCC to establish a 6G Task Force made up of both the public and private sectors to develop a report on the standards development process and possible uses of sixth-generation technology. 

“Finally, I am pleased to lead H.R. 7589, the ROUTERS Act. This legislation would require NTIA to study whether certain routers and modems produced by companies with ties to our adversaries pose an unacceptable risk to our national security. 

“Chinese state-sponsored companies make unsecured routers that are easily susceptible to cyberattacks and serve as entry points for bad actors into consumers’ homes, networks, and devices. 

“Fortunately, the US has taken strong steps to keep Huawei and ZTE out of our homes and networks, and I’m proud that this bill builds on those efforts. 

“I would like to thank the members of the subcommittee for their work on these bills, and I am pleased that we are able to move forward on this legislation today.”