Letter to Joe Biden, President of the United States - Senators Collins, King, & Bipartisan Group Urge Funding for Secure 5G Networks

Letter

Dear Mr. President:

As you prepare your budget request for Fiscal Year 2022, we ask that you provide at least
$1.5 billion each for both the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund and the
Multilateral Telecommunications Security Fund. These Funds provide critical foundations for
robust, secure, and efficient fifth-generation (5G) networks, and will be integral to the ability of
the United States and its allies to adopt Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) equipment at
a scale necessary to compete with the equipment vendors of our strategic rivals, including
China.

These Funds, established in Section 9202 of the National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, are consistent with your Interim National Security Strategic
Guidance, which calls for investments to retain our scientific and technological edge, build
secure 21st century digital infrastructure (including secure 5G networks), and partner with
democratic friends and allies. Investments in these Funds will also enable the development and
deployment of an Open RAN approach to network standardization for nationwide 5G (and
successor) wireless capabilities.

Current RAN infrastructure relies on closed, end-to-end hardware solutions that are
expensive to operate and dominated by foreign companies. For example, Huawei, a company
with inextricable links to the Chinese government and a history of disregard for the intellectual
property rights of U.S. companies, offers end-to-end RAN hardware, which poses significant
counterintelligence concerns. For years, we have called on telecommunications providers in the
U.S., as well as our allies and partners, to reject Huawei 5G technology, but we have not
provided competitively-priced, innovative alternatives that would address their needs.
As wireless networks adapt to the growing demands for 5G connectivity, a new Open
RAN architecture will allow telecommunications providers to migrate from the current
hardware-centric approach into a software-centric model that relies heavily on cloud-based
services. This architecture will break down the current end-to-end proprietary stack of
hardware; lower barriers to entry and prompt innovation; diversify the supply chain and
decrease dependence on foreign suppliers; and spur Open RAN deployments throughout the
United States, particularly in rural America. Providing resources for these Funds in your budget
request presents an opportunity to realize this vision.

We look forward to working with you in a bipartisan manner on this critical national
priority.

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