Warner, Rubio Urge Canada to Reconsider Allowing Huawei to Participate in 5G Development

Canada should reconsider letting Huawei participate in developing the country's 5G infrastructure, said Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. They were among senators who unsuccessfully pushed to restore a Commerce Department ban on U.S. companies selling telecom software and equipment to Chinese equipment manufacturer ZTE (see 1808010068). September testimony by Canadian Center for Cyber Security Head-Designee Scott Jones to a parliamentary committee said that country's government has strong cybersecurity protections. Canada is reluctant to outright ban any telecom equipment provider in case that leaves it vulnerable if any other vendors' equipment is attacked, Scott testified. Huawei is barred from Canadian government contracts and from providing equipment to Canada's core telecom infrastructure. Still, "we have serious concerns that such safeguards are inadequate,” Rubio and Warner wrote Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “We are concerned about the impact that any decision to include Huawei in Canada’s 5G networks will have on both Canadian national security and 'Five Eyes' joint intelligence cooperation among the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.” The “strong alignment between the United States and Canada in spectrum management has meant that American and Canadian carriers in many cases share complementary spectrum holdings,” they noted. Trudeau's office didn't comment.