Sec. 201. Ensuring the integrity of telecom and data networks and critical infrastructure
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/bill/116/hr/8716/ih/section-201·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
It is the sense of Congress that— allegations of espionage, intellectual property theft, hacking, and unscrupulous business practices often accompany the entrance of Chinese companies into a region; the United States Government should assist Latin American and Caribbean governments and businesses in developing their own digital telecommunications networks to render them less susceptible to Chinese malfeasance; and strengthening and implementing intellectual property and cyber governance laws will boost innovation in the Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Secretary of State, working through the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues of the Department of State, and in consultation with the Attorney General, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Chief of the International Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission shall offer to provide technical assistance to partner governments in Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen their capacity to promote digital security, including— defending the integrity of digital infrastructure and digital assets, including data storage systems, such as Cloud computing, proprietary data, personal information, and proprietary technologies; detecting, identifying, and investigating cybercrimes, including the collection of digital forensic evidence; developing appropriate enforcement mechanisms for cybercrimes; detecting and identifying perpetrators; and prosecuting cybercrimes and holding perpetrators accountable for such crimes.
The Secretary of State, in providing the technical assistance described in subsection (b), shall prioritize working with national and regional law enforcement entities, including— police forces; public prosecutors; attorneys general; courts; and other law enforcement and civilian intelligence entities, as appropriate. The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Commander of the United States Cyber Command and the Director of National Intelligence, shall offer to provide technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of partner governments in Latin America and the Caribbean— to protect the integrity of their telecom and data networks and their critical infrastructure; to build and monitor secure telecom and data networks; to identify cyber threats and detect and deter cyber attacks; to investigate cyber crimes, including the collection of digital forensic evidence; to protect the integrity of digital infrastructure and digital assets, including data storage systems (including Cloud computing), proprietary data, personal information, and proprietary technologies; to plan maintenance, improvements, and modernization in a coordinated and regular fashion so as to ensure continuity and safety; and to protect the digital systems that manage roads, bridges, ports, and transportation hubs.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of State shall provide a briefing regarding the technical assistance described in subsection
(b)and
(d)to— the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate ; the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate ; the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate ; the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives ; the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives ; and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives .