Open Ran Outreach Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. PALLONE.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2037, the Open RAN Outreach Act.

Open RAN, or Open Radio Access Network, technology is a wireless network architecture that has the potential to drive 5G and 6G innovation forward. Like any new technology, we are just beginning to broadly deploy it, as there is still much to learn about its potential. This is especially true for smaller communications providers who must be prudent about their resources and refrain from taking unnecessary risks in introducing new technology into their networks.

We know Open RAN can both help introduce competition into a market that is currently dominated by untrusted equipment makers, like Huawei, and support the development of new trusted manufacturers, including those in the United States.

This bill helps bridge a gap by providing small communications providers with the support they need to determine whether Open RAN is an appropriate network solution for them. Under this bill, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information will be required to engage in outreach and provide technical assistance to small communications providers concerning the uses, benefits, and challenges of Open RAN and other open network architectures.

This bill would also require the Assistant Secretary to provide guidance to small carriers about their participation in the agency's Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund.

Sadly, with the passage of the one big, ugly bill, the need for this guidance is significantly diminished, as congressional Republicans inexplicably gutted this program by withdrawing $850 million in funding. It is deeply disappointing that congressional Republicans would rather use this money to give tax cuts to billionaires than develop creative solutions to protect our wireless networks from foreign adversaries seeking to harm our Nation.

Nevertheless, I commend Representatives Carter and Hudson for their bipartisan work on this bill. This is a good bill, as it ensures that our country's small communications providers have the necessary tools to make informed decisions about the need for new technology in their networks.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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