Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 820, the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act.

Last week, the Department of Justice indicted two Russian nationals over payments made to several extreme rightwing American influencers in an attempt to tip the scales in our Nation's upcoming elections. This is an extremely disturbing and stark reminder of the length that foreign adversary countries will go to use our media and communications networks to disrupt and divide us, weakening our country for their own benefit.

Whether it is through social media, equipment, or the communications networks itself, we have seen these operations time and time again, which is why we must stay vigilant to minimize these risks or avoid them all together.

Today, we are taking additional action to stay ahead of these risks. H.R. 820 will shed some light on the investments of foreign adversaries in our country's communications networks.

Every day these networks carry Americans' most sensitive personal data. We must have a clear understanding if any foreign adversary countries, or the companies operating within those countries, are investors in our communications networks.

This is critically important because, unfortunately, we have too often seen foreign adversary governments or those beholden to them target these networks and the devices and applications running on top of them as a way to disrupt our daily lives or to conduct espionage campaigns.

Any communications network with ties to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran magnifies this target and endangers our national security interests.

H.R. 820 helps address these concerns. This bipartisan bill would require the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list within 4 months indicating any entities with ties to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran that hold wireless and undersea cable licenses that power our country's mobile and fixed communications networks.

The bill would also require the FCC to issue rules in 18 months to help it attain foreign ownership information for the remaining authorization, licenses, and grants that the agency issues. The FCC would then publish on its list any additional entities with ties to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran no later than 1 year after the new rules are adopted. The FCC would also need to update this entity list annually.

With this bill, we continue to secure our communications networks and protect Americans from rogue nation-states seeking to use our networks against us. This bill will also help us better protect our allies as they too rely on our global undersea cable network for broadband services.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 820, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I, again, urge support for this important legislation to protect us on a bipartisan basis, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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