Representatives Long, McNerney, Carter, and Spanberger Introduce the Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act

Press Release

Representatives Billy Long (R-MO), McNerney (D-CA), Carter (R-GA), and Spanberger (D-VA) introduced the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Strategy Act.

"I am proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to lead the effort in passing the ICT Strategy Act," said Congressman Long. "We need to make sure information technology supply chains are secure and we need to know how dependent U.S. information and communications technology companies are on foreign countries like China. This doesn't just ask the federal government to conduct a study, it requires the federal government to come up with a real solution to securing this critical supply chain."

"A comprehensive approach is essential to maintaining America's leadership in the field of communications technology," said Congressman McNerney. "By establishing a whole-of-Government strategy to assess our strengths and manage the challenges we're facing, we can ensure the security of our information technology supply chains as well as our economic competitiveness in this area."

"We must never be too dependent on China or other adversarial countries for critical infrastructure," said Congressman Carter. "This bipartisan legislation will not only identify the risk but develop a strategy to secure supply chains for information and communications technology. I look forward to advancing this important initiative and seeing it signed into law."

"In recent months, our nation has seen firsthand the chaos caused by attacks against American supply chains, critical infrastructure, and government computer systems. Moving forward, we need to build a whole-of-government approach that both recognizes these risks and takes real steps to strengthen our resiliency here at home," said Spanberger. "By taking stock of critical information and communication technologies and working to keep American companies competitive in this constantly evolving field, the Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act would help reduce our dependence on companies that could pose a threat to our national security due to their close ties to foreign governments. As a former CIA case officer, I take the risks associated with vulnerable supply chains seriously -- and I am proud to help lead this bipartisan effort to fortify our nation's communication networks."

Currently, far too many U.S.-based information and communications vendors rely on technology from foreign sources. The Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act will:

Require the Department of Commerce to submit a report to Congress 1 year after enactment that will:
Assess the competitiveness of information and communications technology vendors.
Assess the dependence of these vendors on foreign actors.
Identify what federal resources are needed to reduce the dependence of information and communications vendors on foreign actors.
Require the Department of Commerce to create a whole-of-government strategy that will bolster the economic competitiveness of U.S. information and communications vendors and reduce their reliance on foreign resources.

Source