A bipartisan bill designed to shield American telecommunications infrastructure from foreign adversaries is headed to the U.S. Senate floor after clearing the Senate Commerce Committee. The Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act would mandate that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) identify and publicly list foreign government entities from adversarial nations that hold FCC licenses or authorizations.
Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) co-sponsored the legislation, which aims to address growing concerns about nations like China, Russia, and Iran gaining indirect control over critical U.S. communications networks. The bill has already passed the House of Representatives, where it was introduced by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA).
Under the proposed law, the FCC would have 120 days to publish an initial list of foreign entities currently operating under its jurisdiction. Within 18 months, the FCC would be required to create new rules to identify additional foreign-controlled or influenced entities. One year after those rules are finalized, the commission would be required to update its public list, and continue doing so annually.
Sen. Rosen emphasized the need for increased vigilance, stating, “Our bipartisan bill will help protect our telecommunications systems from adversarial nations, including China, Russia and Iran.” She noted the importance of securing national infrastructure from foreign threats that seek to “hack our systems and access our information.”
Sen. Fischer added that adversaries “should not have silent footholds in our tech and communication markets.” She described the legislation as a tool to force the FCC to review the security implications of foreign ownership in the American telecommunications sector.
Rep. Wittman called the House passage of the bill a major step forward in defending the country’s tech infrastructure. “The House’s passage of my bipartisan FACT Act marks real progress in countering foreign threats,” he said.
If passed into law, the FACT Act will give Americans greater visibility into which foreign governments may be influencing domestic communications systems, an increasingly critical issue in a time of cyberwarfare and global tensions.
