The House of Representatives is set to vote next week on a bill to crack down on Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE Corp that have been deemed security threats by the US government.
The House said on Tuesday it will take up a bipartisan bill
called the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act that would
require the State Department to report on US NATO allies and others using
telecommunication equipment or services in their 5G networks from companies
like Huawei and ZTE.
"We need to redouble our efforts to protect our
national security and interests, help our allies take vital measures for their
own security, and stand firmly in defense of fundamental rights," said
Representative Susan Wild, the Democratic sponsor of the measure.
The legislation would also require publicly traded companies
to disclose whether they have contracted to use Huawei or ZTE or services
covered under the bill. Huawei and ZTE did not immediately comment.
The bill would also mandate a report on telecommunications
vulnerabilities in US embassies overseas, and direct the US State Department to
identify key telecommunications infrastructure projects to promote US national
security.
The Federal Communications Commission in November banned
approvals of new telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE, saying they
pose "an unacceptable risk" to US national security.
Last year, the Chinese embassy in Washington said the FCC
"abused state power and maliciously attacked Chinese telecom operators
again without factual basis." Huawei has repeatedly denied allegations of
wrongdoing and said the US government has "unlawfully and irrationally"
targeted the company.
Washington's efforts to counter the Chinese tech giants come
amid US fears that Beijing could use them to spy on Americans. Washington has
for years pressured US allies not to use Huawei or ZTE equipment from 5G
networks or remove gear from existing networks.
In 2019, Congress directed the FCC to order US telecoms
carriers receiving federal subsidies to purge their networks of telecoms
equipment posing national security risks, with promises of reimbursement.
The FCC designated Huawei and ZTE as threats, requiring US
companies to remove their gear or be frozen out of an $8.3 billion government
fund to purchase new equipment. However, to fund the so-called "rip and
replace" effort, Congress only appropriated $1.9 billion.
The FCC said last year companies need another $3 billion to
remove from U.S. networks equipment made by Chinese telecoms giants Huawei and
ZTE bringing the total estimated cost to $4.98 billion. -Reuters