House passes Spanberger legislation to build national 5G strategy

The House passed Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s bipartisan legislation requiring a national strategy to protect American 5G telecommunications systems from foreign-based 5G threats.

The Spanberger-led Secure 5G and Beyond Act would require the administration to develop an unclassified, national strategy to protect U.S. consumers and assist U.S. allies in maximizing the security of their 5G telecommunications systems, particularly as the influence of foreign 5G firms like Huawei and ZTE continues to grow.

This strategy would also identify additional ways to spur research and development on 5G by U.S. companies. The bipartisan legislation is led in the U.S. Senate by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

In January, the House of Representatives voted 413-3 to pass the House version of Spanberger’s Secure 5G and Beyond Act. Following passage in the U.S. Senate and passage in the U.S. House, the bill now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

“As a former CIA case officer, I recognize that the rapid rise of firms like Huawei and ZTE presents a significant national security threat to the telecom infrastructure of the United States and our allies. If our country is not equipped with a comprehensive strategy to address this growing challenge, we risk jeopardizing the privacy of American consumers, businesses, and government organizations,” said Spanberger. “The Secure 5G and Beyond Act is a clear step toward developing a nationwide gameplan to mitigate the threat posed by foreign-based 5G companies. With the passage of my legislation in the House today, we are strengthening our resilience against the growing influence of these firms while also demonstrating confidence in our tech companies and their ability to innovate. I’m grateful for Senator Cornyn’s partnership in shepherding our legislation through both chambers of Congress, and I look forward to President Trump signing this critical legislation into law.”

Spanberger introduced her bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House in May.

Specifically, the bipartisan Secure 5G and Beyond Act would require the administration to build an interagency strategy to:

• Secure 5th generation and future-generation telecommunications systems and infrastructure across the United States.
• Assist U.S. allies and defense partners in maximizing the security of 5G systems and infrastructure in their countries.
• Protect the competitiveness of U.S. companies, the privacy of U.S. consumers, and the integrity of international standards-setting bodies against foreign political influence.