Warner, Burr Lead USA Telecom Act to Combat Chinese Gearmakers, Aid US 5G

Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., led filing Tuesday of the Utilizing Strategic Allied Telecommunications Act. They want to encourage investment in U.S. 5G developments and incentivize alternatives to telecom equipment manufactured by Huawei and ZTE. The bill would require the FCC direct at least $750 million, or up to 5 percent in annual spectrum auction proceeds, to create an NTIA-managed open radio access network R&D fund to spur movement to open-architecture, software-based wireless technologies. The measure would also create a $500 million multilateral telecommunications security fund to accelerate global adoption of trusted and secure telecom equipment. It would aim to increase U.S. participation in international standards-setting bodies and require the FCC report to Congress on recommendations. “Every month that the U.S. does nothing, Huawei stands poised to become the cheapest, fastest, most ubiquitous global provider of 5G, while U.S. and Western companies and workers lose out on market share and jobs,” Warner said in a statement. Four senators signed as original co-sponsors: Michael Bennet, D-Colo.; John Cornyn, R-Texas; Bob Menendez, D-N.J.; and Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Lawmakers are again talking about advancing legislation to help fund U.S. communications providers removing Chinese equipment determined to threaten national security (see 2001080002).