House Passes Bill Requiring US Companies Disclose Use of Untrusted Telecom Gear

The House passed the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act (HR-1149) Wednesday night on a lopsided 410-8 vote. The measure, which the House previously passed in September (see 2209210049), would require publicly traded companies to disclose whether they contracted to use untrusted telecom equipment or services. It would also direct the State Department to report on U.S. collective defense allies using untrusted telecom equipment or services in their 5G networks. "For far too long, the world has stood by as Chinese telecoms giants operated as vehicles for the Chinese Communist Party to commit horrific human rights violations against the Uyghur people, conduct mass surveillance and espionage, and supply technology to other repressive regimes around the world," said lead HR-1149 sponsor Susan Wild, D-Pa. "Today, Congress sent a clear message that it would be tolerated no longer." Competitive Carriers Association CEO Tim Donovan praised the House for passing HR-1149, but cautioned that "we cannot solve" potential use of untrusted equipment "domestically without Congress providing additional funds to fully complete the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program." Lawmakers proposed in a scuttled December spectrum legislative package to use some proceeds from future sales of the 3.1-3.45 GHz band and other frequencies to provide an additional $3.08 billion for the rip and replace program (see 2212190069).