Kim applauds House passage of bipartisan bill to globally secure telecom infrastructure

The U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 20 passed the bipartisan Securing Global Telecommunications Act, which U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) cosponsored with her Democratic colleagues.

If enacted, H.R. 8503, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC), would require the development of a strategy to promote the use of secure telecommunications infrastructure worldwide, according to the text of the bill.

“The Securing Global Telecommunications Act will help the U.S. prioritize our national security, work with our allies to counter the CCP’s [Chinese Communist Party’s] malign influence and uphold U.S. competitiveness,” Rep. Kim said on Tuesday. “I’m proud to work with Rep. Manning on this and thank my House colleagues for supporting its passage.”  

An enacted H.R. 8503 would require the U.S. State Department to develop a comprehensive strategy to promote trusted vendors in several categories of critical telecommunications infrastructure, and to report to Congress on Chinese and Russian efforts to advance their interests at the International Telecommunications Union, among other provisions, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Kim’s office.

“As the CCP moves to dominate global telecommunications infrastructure, we must take steps to secure our networks and ensure the United States continues leading in global telecommunications standards,” said Rep. Kim. “We cannot let China or Russia write the rules of the road for our networks.”

Rep. Manning agreed, saying Russia and China are working to dominate tech and telecom around the globe by setting industry standards to favor their industries. 

“This poses serious risks to our national security,” said Rep. Manning. “I thank Rep. Kim for partnering with me to help pass this important legislation.”