Introduction of the Transatlantic Telecommunications Security Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, as co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine, Hungary, and Poland Caucuses, Member of the Baltic Caucus, and friend to liberty-lovers across Central and Eastern Europe, I rise to introduce the bipartisan Transatlantic Telecommunications Security Act. I am thankful to my colleague Congressman Kinzinger of Illinois for his co-leadership and partnership on this measure, as well as his commitment to liberty in Europe.

The United States and our NATO allies and partners in Central and Eastern Europe face down increased threats from global actors like a rising China and a belligerent Russia that seek to export their malign influence and undermine democratic institutions. China seeks to compromise allied critical digital infrastructure by using state-linked companies like Huawei and ZTE to unfairly induce our allies to procure insecure telecommunications equipment and services. Given immense economic potential from rapid 50 deployment, European countries feel significant pressure to use dangerous Huawei equipment despite the political risks.

Bipartisan current and former U.S. officials and civil society members have recognized the threat of malign influence over critical telecommunications networks. 5G networks will serve as the backbone of artificial intelligence platforms with immense national security and domestic economic implications.

Given these critical national security needs, the United States must provide our allies alternatives to Chinese financing and provide increased diplomatic support to our allies to ensure secure telecommunications lines. This legislation would authorize the U.S. Development Finance Corporation to provide financing for cross-border 5G telecommunications infrastructure development to our allies. This financing is key to remove risky and threatening equipment and replace it with secure equipment. The legislation seeks to increase resilience in countries in the region whose infrastructure deficit from the Soviet-era makes them especially vulnerable to malign Chinese influence, including among nations in the Three Seas Initiative.

Additionally, this bill directs the Secretary of State and other relevant agency heads to prioritize diplomacy and project support with European allies and partners to develop 5G markets that are inclusive, transparent, economically viable, socially sustainable, and compliant with international law. Finally, this legislation ensures the United States is leading with our European allies to develop international SG standards that favor democratic institutions, not further authoritarianism spread by China and Russia.

I am so thankful for the support of the Central and East Europe Coalition, the National Federation of Croatian Americans, as well as the embassies of Czechia, Estonia, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, and Slovenia.

The U.S. Congress must act to ensure the security of our NATO allies and partners. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation and look forward to working with Rep. Kinzinger towards this bill's passage.

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