Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare

President Biden opened the first-ever Summit for Democracy, a forum for leaders from around the world to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing democracies in the 21st century. These efforts will center on five areas of work crucial to the functioning of transparent, accountable governance: 1) Supporting Free and Independent Media, 2) Fighting Corruption, 3) Bolstering Democratic Reformers, 4) Advancing Technology for Democracy, and 5) Defending Free and Fair Elections and Political Processes. Specifically:

The White House is set to announce plans for its much-anticipated Alliance for the Future of the Internet, a bid to rally a coalition of democracies around a vision for an open and free web.

Sen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Rep Yvette Clarke (D-NY) introduced the Consumer Online Payment Transparency and Integrity Act (S.3298), or Consumer OPT-IN Act, to protect consumers from online free trial scams and deceptive marketing tactics. To do this, the Consumer OPT-In Act will:

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he will add legislation to boost US competitiveness with China to a massive defense policy bill the Senate is due to begin considering this week. "Our supply chain crisis needs attending to and we cannot wait," Schumer said when announcing that the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would be amended to include the US Innovation and Competition Act (USICA).

When senators return to Washington next week, one of the most pressing issues they’ll face is passing the National Defense Authorization Act, which has been pushed back much further than usual. Lawmakers have filed nearly 700 amendments to the annual defense bill, including several related to tech and telecom. Politico has compiled a list of major Democrat, Republican, and bipartisan amendments in these areas.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted an order ending China Telecom (Americas) Corporation’s ability to provide domestic interstate and international telecommunications services within the United States. The Order on Revocation and Termination directs China Telecom Americas to discontinue any domestic or international services that it provides pursuant to its section 214 authority within sixty days following the release of the order.

Sen Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced the Digital Accountability and Transparency to Advance (DATA) Privacy Act to strengthen data privacy protections for American consumers. The legislation would:

The Federal Communications Commission opened the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program filing window for providers of advanced communications service with 10 million or fewer customers to seek reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred in removing, replacing, and disposing of Huawei and ZTE communications equipment and services.

The US Senate unanimously passed the Secure Equipment Act of 2021 (H.R.3919), introduced in June by Reps Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Steve Scalise (R-LA), that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from reviewing or issuing new equipment licenses to companies on the FCC’s “Covered Equipment or Services List” that pose a national security threat.  The Secure Equipment Act would prevent equipment manufacture

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced a new bureau of cyberspace and digital policy to be led by a Senate-confirmed ambassador-at-large and a new, separate special envoy for critical and emerging technology. Both positions will report directly to Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman for at least the first year, according to Secretary Blinken's speech at the Foreign Service Institute.