(The Center Square) – A bill requiring public disclosure of companies with U.S. telecommunications licenses tied to foreign adversaries advanced through a House committee this week, reflecting growing concerns over national security threats from foreign-controlled entities.
The Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act aims to enhance national security by requiring the Federal Communications Commission to publish annually a list of entities holding FCC licenses owned or controlled by governments such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela or Cuba.
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., introduced the legislation, which has garnered bipartisan support. Lawmakers have emphasized the need to safeguard the U.S. telecommunications systems from potential foreign influence.
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va.
Until now, there has been no mandated public disclosure of companies with such ties, despite concerns that entities linked to adversarial governments continue to operate within U.S. telecommunications networks. Supporters of the bill say greater transparency is necessary to close that gap.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the measure by voice vote on April 8.
“The Chinese Communist Party is using every tool at its disposal to conduct a coordinated campaign to surveil and collect information on Americans,” Wittman said in a statement. “My FACT Act will help shine a light on the malign access and influence CCP-controlled companies have inside our technology and telecommunications markets. I look forward to building on this momentum so we can stop foreign adversaries from having unfettered access to our telecommunications infrastructure.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., initially introduced the bill in 2022 and reintroduced it in 2023, saying it sends a clear message to foreign adversaries that Congress is committed to securing critical infrastructure.
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr previously praised the bill, calling it a “smart and important move to further secure America’s telecom infrastructure from the CCP and other foreign adversaries’ malign conduct.”
In addition to Wittman and Stefanik, Reps. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., Thomas Kean, R-N.J., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., cosponsored the legislation.
