Sec. 4. Prioritization of efforts and assistance for telecommunication infrastructure projects in Central and Eastern Europe
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In carrying out the policy described in section 2(b), the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation, the Director of the Trade and Development Agency, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall, as appropriate, prioritize and expedite the efforts of the Department of State and those departments and agencies in supporting the efforts of the European Commission and the governments of Central and Eastern European countries to improve the security of their telecommunication networks, including through providing diplomatic and political support to the European Commission and Central and Eastern European countries, as necessary— to ensure European telecommunication networks are built securely, consistent with democratic values and principles such as privacy, including through early-stage project support and late-stage project support for the construction or improvement of telecommunication and related infrastructure; to remove covered telecommunication equipment or services and replace such equipment or services with secure telecommunication equipment or services; to support the development of telecommunication networks that are inclusive, transparent, economically viable, financially, environmentally, and socially sustainable, compliant with international standards, laws, and regulations, and supplied by providers of secure telecommunication equipment or services; and to facilitate international coordination on cross-border telecommunication infrastructure construction and security standards to ensure cross-border telecommunications are secure.
The Secretary of State, the Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation, and the Director of the Trade and Development Agency shall jointly identify telecommunication infrastructure projects that would advance the United States national security and be appropriate for United States assistance under this section. A project is eligible for United States assistance under this section if— the project— improves telecommunication networks through either hard infrastructure, such as telecommunication lines, towers, antennas, or other equipment, or soft infrastructure, such as innovative software development or cloud services; is inclusive, transparent, economically viable, financially, environmentally, and socially sustainable, compliant with international standards, laws, and regulations, and supplied with secure telecommunication equipment or services solely by providers of secure telecommunication equipment or services; and does not use covered telecommunication equipment or services or removes covered telecommunication equipment or services and replaces such equipment or services with secure telecommunication equipment or services; and the project is located in a covered country.
In selecting among projects that are eligible under paragraph (2), the heads of the Federal departments and agencies specified in subsection
(a)shall give preference to projects that— are located in Ukraine; can attract funding from the private sector, an international financial institution, the government of the country in which the project will be carried out, or the European Commission; have been designated as available for funding through the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund; are to be carried out in the Three Seas Initiative member nations; are to be carried out in NATO member states that meet or are making progress toward meeting their commitments to upholding the rule of law and preserving democratic institutions in accordance with the preamble and Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty; are to be carried out in NATO member states that meet or are making demonstrable progress toward meeting their defense spending commitments in accordance with the 2014 NATO Wales Summit Declaration; or have the potential to advance United States economic interests. The Secretary of State shall provide diplomatic and political support to the covered countries, as necessary, including by using the diplomatic and political influence and expertise of the Department of State to build the capacity of covered countries to resolve any impediments to the development of projects selected under subsection (b). The Secretary of State shall seek to encourage international financial institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office of the Government of the United Kingdom, the Agency for International Cooperation of the Government of Germany, and the Development Agency of the Government of France to invest in telecommunication infrastructure resilience in Central and Eastern Europe. The Director of the Trade and Development Agency shall provide early-stage project support with respect to projects selected under subsection (b), as necessary. The heads of the Federal departments and agencies specified in subsection
(a)that provide late-stage project support shall do so, with respect to projects selected under subsection (b), as necessary. The United States International Development Finance Corporation is authorized to provide support for projects under this section in covered countries that are countries with upper-middle-income economies or high-income economies (as those terms are defined by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association (collectively referred to as the World Bank )), notwithstanding the restriction contained in section 1412(c)(2) of the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act of 2018 ( 22 U.S.C. 9612(c)(2) ).
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Sec. 4
Prioritization of efforts and assistance for telecommunication infrastructure projects in Central and Eastern Europe
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