House Commerce Committee Leaders Introduce the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act

House Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR), Reps Doris Matsui (D-CA), and Brett Guthrie (R-KY) introduced the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act (HR 4459), a bipartisan bill to help secure America’s telecommunications supply chain. "This bipartisan legislation will protect our nation’s communications networks from foreign adversaries by helping small and rural wireless providers root-out suspect network equipment and replace it with more secure equipment.  We must get this done to protect our national security,” they wrote. The bill:

• Prohibits the use of federal funds to purchase communications equipment or services from any company that poses a national security risk to American communications networks.
• Requires the Federal Communications Commission to establish the Secure and Trusted Communications Reimbursement Program to assist small communications providers with the costs of removing prohibited equipment or services from their networks and replacing the prohibited equipment with more secure communications equipment or services.