Virginia Democrat Cites Huawei Concerns, Promotes House 5G Security Bill

The House-passed Secure 5G and Beyond Act (HR-2881) isn’t “specifically” targeted against Huawei and ZTE, but it’s important for the U.S. government to “ensure that the American public and American companies recognize the threat” those companies’ products may pose, said lead sponsor Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va. She spoke to C-SPAN’s The Communicators, posted online Friday and to have been televised over the weekend. HR-2881 and Senate version S-893 would require the president to develop a strategy for ensuring security of 5G networks and infrastructure (see 1903270065). The House passed HR-2881 and three other 5G-centric bills earlier this month (see 2001080002). “Significant indicators,” including the Chinese government’s financial relationship with Huawei, show there’s good reason to be concerned that Huawei’s technology “could create back doors” or other ways of accessing consumer data or company data “that from the American perspective we would find unacceptable,” Spanberger said: China’s privacy standards and corporate practices “are different from those that we would find acceptable or even legal.” She supports the Trump administration's efforts to convince its allies, including the U.K., not to allow Huawei or ZTE equipment into their telecom infrastructure as part of fifth-generation wireless. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., recently filed legislation aimed at barring the U.S. from sharing intelligence “with any country that permits operation within its national borders” of Huawei-produced 5G equipment. The U.S. has a “right to express concern with how that information is being safeguarded,” Spanberger said. She said bids to ensure U.S. communications providers remove from their networks Chinese equipment determined to threaten national security “might perhaps be a step greater than we need to take at this time." Lawmakers are in talks to advance bills to reach consensus between the House-passed Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act and the similar Senate Commerce-cleared U.S. 5G Leadership Act. HR-4998 and S-1625 would provide funding to help U.S. communications providers remove suspect equipment.