Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4028) to require the Secretary of Commerce to report on and develop a whole-of-Government strategy with respect to the economic competitiveness of the information and communication technology supply chain, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4028

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act''. SEC. 2. ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY SUPPLY CHAIN.

(a) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the information and communication technology supply chain that--

(1) identifies--

(A) information and communication technology critical to the economic competitiveness of the United States; and

(B) the industrial capacity of--

(i) United States vendors that produce information and communication technology identified under subparagraph (A); and

(ii) trusted information and communication technology vendors that produce information and communication technology identified under subparagraph (A);

(2) assesses the economic competitiveness of vendors described under paragraph (1)(B);

(3) assesses whether, and to what extent, there is a dependence by providers of advanced telecommunications capability in the United States on information and communication technology identified under paragraph (1)(A) that is not trusted;

(4) identifies--

(A) what actions by the Federal Government are needed to support, and bolster the economic competitiveness of, trusted information and communication technology vendors; and

(B) what Federal resources are needed to reduce dependence by providers of advanced telecommunications capability in the United States on companies that--

(i) produce information and communication technology; and

(ii) are not trusted; and

(5) defines lines of effort and assigns responsibilities for a whole-of-Government response to ensuring the competitiveness of the information and communication technology supply chain in the United States.

(b) Whole-of-Government Strategy.--

(1) In general.--The Secretary shall develop, on the basis of the report required by subsection (a), a whole-of- Government strategy to ensure the economic competitiveness of trusted information and communication technology vendors that includes--

(A) recommendations on how--

(i) to strengthen the structure, resources, and authorities of the Federal Government to support the economic competitiveness of trusted information and communication technology vendors, including United States vendors that are trusted information and communication technology vendors; and

(ii) the Federal Government can address any barriers to a market-based solution for increasing the economic competitiveness of such information and communication technology vendors;

(B) defined lines of effort and responsibilities for Federal agencies to implement the strategy; and

(C) a description of--

(i) any change to a Federal program, Federal law, or structure of the Federal Government necessary to implement any recommendation under subparagraph (A); and

(ii) any additional Federal resource necessary to implement any recommendation under subparagraph (A).

(2) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the submission of the report required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report containing the strategy developed under paragraph (1).

(c) Consultation Required.--In carrying out subsections (a) and (b), the Secretary shall consult with--

(1) a cross-section of trusted information and communication technology vendors; and

(2) the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, the Director of National Intelligence, the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission and any other head of an agency the Secretary determines necessary.

(d) Definitions.--In this section:

(1) Advanced telecommunications capability.--The term ``advanced telecommunications capability'' has the meaning given that term in section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 1302).

(2) Information and communication technology supply chain.--The term ``information and communication technology supply chain'' means all of the companies that produce information and communication technology.

(3) Information and communication technology.--The term ``information and communication technology'' means a technology (including software), component, or material that enables communications by radio or wire.

(4) Not trusted.--The term ``not trusted'' means, with respect to a company or information and communication technology, that the company or information and communication technology is determined by the Secretary to pose an unacceptable risk to national security of the United States, or the security and safety of the United States persons based solely on one or more determination described under paragraphs (1) through (4) of section 2(c) of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-124).

(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.

(6) Trusted.--The term ``trusted'' means, with respect to a company, that the Secretary has not determined that the company is not trusted.

(7) Trusted information and communication technology vendor.--The term ``trusted information and communication technology vendor'' means a company--

(A) that produces information and communication technology; and

(B) that is trusted.

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Mr. PALLONE. 4028.

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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4028, the Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act.

This bill would help ensure the United States remains a global economic power by providing Congress with valuable insights on the information and communication technology supply chain and a strategic roadmap for the entire Federal Government to strengthen the competitiveness of trusted information and communication technology vendors.

The bill accomplishes these important objectives by requiring the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress on the technology most critical to ensuring the continued economic success of the United States. It is also supposed to examine the ability and capacity of American manufacturers and other trusted vendors to produce this technology.

The report will be completed through the Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration. It will also identify how many of our country's communications providers depend upon untrusted vendors of this technology, and then it will outline actions the Federal Government can take to increase the support of trusted vendors and eliminate the support of untrusted vendors.

Finally, the legislation calls for the Secretary of Commerce to develop a whole-of-government strategy, along with recommendations based on the report. The strategy is meant to enhance the economic growth of trusted information and communication technology vendors, both in the United States and abroad.

Madam Speaker, the bill requires that the Secretary of Commerce consult with a wide variety of trusted information and communication technology vendors. It also requires the Secretary to consult with the heads of several government agencies, including the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Chair of the FCC.

By enhancing the global supply chain for trusted information and communication technology vendors, this bill would help strengthen the American economy and protect our country from nontrusted parties seeking to disrupt America's competitiveness in the information and communication technology industry.

Madam Speaker, I want to commend Representatives Spanberger, McNerney, Long, and Carter for their bipartisan efforts on this legislation. I hope we can come together to move the bill forward. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, again, this is part of our effort to enhance economic growth with regard to trusted communications vendors both here and abroad. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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