Sec. 2. Statement of policy

402 words·~2 min read·/bill/116/hr/8899/ih/section-2

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— Fifth-generation telecommunications networks in allied and partner countries based on common, secure, transparent, democratic standards have the potential to increase cultural, political, and economic exchanges leading to mutual job creation, closer citizen relations, and stronger democratic institutions; the United States has national security and economic interests in assisting Central and Eastern European countries to improve the security of their telecommunications networks by reducing dependence on covered telecommunications equipment or services that are often offered with predatory economic inducements, and replacing them with secure telecommunications equipment or services;

China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the 17+1 Initiative seek to undermine Central and Eastern Europe’s infrastructure resilience and sovereignty through predatory inducements from state-linked providers of telecommunications equipment or services such as Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation; the United States must assemble a coalition of democratic and like-minded allies and partners to counter the rise of global malign actors such as China and Russia, and build resilience in Central and Eastern Europe against malign influences; and in order to ensure robust military coordination and interoperability with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

(NATO)and transatlantic allies and partners, the United States should ensure that allies’ and partners’ telecommunications networks are secure and free from potential threats in accordance with the 2019 NATO London Declaration. It is the policy of the United States— to strengthen the transatlantic alliance based on shared values in the face of rising malign influence from the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, nations that seek to undermine democratic institutions and values; to encourage public and private sector investment in European telecommunications infrastructure projects to ensure secure telecommunications and to catalyze economic advancement through the highest standards of transparency, accessibility, and competition; to provide economically feasible alternatives to financing from providers of covered telecommunications equipment or services; to engage in diplomacy with European allies and partners to strengthen United States and European private sector efforts to develop common telecommunications technology and industry standards, and in turn promote them globally; to support the Three Seas Initiative organized by twelve Central and Eastern European countries of the European Union to increase infrastructure resiliency and reduce reliance on malign actors, including in the telecommunications space; and to support the people of Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and the Western Balkan countries in their desire for integration into euro-Atlantic institutions and economies through enhanced cross-border telecommunications infrastructure connectivity.