Wicker, Others Bow US 5G Leadership Act Aimed at National Security Threats

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., led Wednesday night filing of the U.S. 5G Leadership Act (S-1625) in a bid to bar from U.S. networks equipment from Huawei and other Chinese telecom equipment manufacturers deemed a national security threat. Congress has repeatedly raised concerns about ZTE and other Chinese firms in the context of U.S. competition against China for leadership on 5G, including during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week (see 1905140079). S-1625's filing also follows President Donald Trump's executive order to bar some foreign companies' technology from U.S. networks and a subsequent Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security notice adding Huawei and some of its affiliates to a list of entities subject to export administration regulations that have a presumption of denial (see 1905150066 and 1905160081). BIS soon after issued a general license temporarily allowing certain transactions by Huawei and the affected affiliates through Aug. 19 (see 1905210013). S-1625 would make it U.S. policy that U.S. telecom networks “should not incorporate any hardware or software produced by, or any services offered by” Huawei, ZTE or other entities that are “subject to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government.” The bill would require the FCC complete its work on an NPRM to counter the threat from companies deemed a security threat to U.S. telecom networks or the communications supply chain (see 1812210032). It would create a grant program to make up to $700 million available annually to help U.S. communications providers remove from their networks Chinese equipment determined to threaten national security. “5G networks need to be robust and secure, and not rely on equipment or services that pose a national security risk,” Wicker said. “While we’ve made enormous progress in educating the private sector of the dangers [Huawei and other] vendors pose, we haven’t put in place policies to help resource-strapped rural carriers address and eliminate those risks,” Warner said. “We need to find insecure communications equipment, fix it, and fund it,” tweeted FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. S-1625 “addresses these issues -- lets get this done.” The Competitive Carriers Association and Telecommunications Industry Association praised Wicker and the other senators for filing S-1625. Senate Commerce Security Subcommittee Chairman Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., also signed on as co-sponsors.