[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 144 (Tuesday, September 17, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5310-H5311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FUTURE USES OF TECHNOLOGY UPHOLDING RELIABLE AND ENHANCED NETWORKS ACT
Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and pass the bill (H.R. 1513) to direct the Federal Communications
Commission to establish a task force to be known as the ``6G Task
Force'', and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1513
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Future Uses of Technology
Upholding Reliable and Enhanced Networks Act'' or the
``FUTURE Networks Act''.
SEC. 2. 6G TASK FORCE.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 120 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall establish
a task force to be known as the ``6G Task Force''.
(b) Membership.--
(1) Appointment.--The members of the Task Force shall be
appointed by the Chair.
(2) Composition.--To the extent practicable, the membership
of the Task Force shall be composed of the following:
(A) Representatives of companies in the communications
industry, except companies that are determined by the Chair
to be not trusted.
(B) Representatives of public interest organizations or
academic institutions, except public interest organizations
or academic institutions that are determined by the Chair to
be not trusted.
(C) Representatives of the Federal Government, State
governments, local governments, or Tribal Governments, with
at least one member representing each such type of
government.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date on
which the Task Force is established under subsection (a), the
Task Force shall publish in the Federal Register and on the
website of the Commission, and submit to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate, a report on sixth-generation wireless technology,
including--
(A) the status of industry-led standards-setting bodies in
setting standards for such technology;
(B) possible uses of such technology identified by
industry-led standards-setting bodies that are setting
standards for such technology;
(C) any limitations of such technology (including any
supply chain or cybersecurity limitations) identified by
industry-led standards-setting bodies that are setting
standards for such technology; and
(D) how to best work with entities across the Federal
Government, State governments, local governments, and Tribal
Governments to leverage such technology, including with
regard to siting, deployment, and adoption.
(2) Draft report; public comment.--The Task Force shall--
(A) not later than 180 days after the date on which the
Task Force is established under subsection (a), publish in
the Federal Register and on the website of the Commission a
draft of the report required by paragraph (1); and
(B) accept public comments on such draft and take such
comments into consideration in preparing the final version of
such report.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Chair.--The term ``Chair'' means the Chair of the
Commission.
(2) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission.
(3) Not trusted.--
(A) In general.--The term ``not trusted'' means, with
respect to an entity, that--
(i) the Chair has made a public determination that such
entity is owned by, controlled by, or subject to the
influence of a foreign adversary; or
[[Page H5311]]
(ii) the Chair otherwise determines that such entity poses
a threat to the national security of the United States.
(B) Criteria for determination.--In making a determination
under subparagraph (A)(ii), the Chair shall use the criteria
described in paragraphs (1) through (4) of section 2(c) of
the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019
(47 U.S.C. 1601(c)), as appropriate.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' has the meaning given such
term in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47
U.S.C. 153).
(5) Task force.--The term ``Task Force'' means the 6G Task
Force established under subsection (a).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Washington (Mrs. Rodgers) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Pallone) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Washington.
General Leave
Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend
their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on the
bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Washington?
There was no objection.
Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, H.R. 1513, the FUTURE
Networks Act, led by Representative Matsui.
The United States leads in the development of next-generation
wireless technology. We have led the world in the development and
deployment of 4G technologies, and carriers are now currently deploying
5G across the country. It is now time to look ahead to the next
generation, 6G.
The United States must continue to be at the forefront of
technological development and keep ahead of our adversaries. To do
this, we must lead at international standards-setting bodies, identify
new use cases for 6G, and understand potential security and supply
chain issues that must be addressed as the technology is developed.
H.R. 1513 will support this effort by requiring the FCC to establish
a 6G task force made up of both the public and private sectors to
develop a report on the standards development process and possible uses
of sixth-generation technology.
This task force will ensure that the United States is unified among
industry and government and is doing what is needed to cement our
leadership in 6G.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Matsui for her leadership and
work on this legislation before the Energy and Commerce Committee. This
bill advanced with a strong, bipartisan vote out of the committee.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1513, the Future Uses of
Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhanced Networks Act, or FUTURE
Networks Act.
This bipartisan bill, sponsored by Representative Matsui, ranking
member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, is an
important step to protect Americans and our communications networks
from threats posed by rapidly evolving next-generation technologies. It
also ensures that the standards used to build technological
advancements are designed from the start to be safe and secure.
H.R. 1513 establishes a task force at the Federal Communications
Commission to study sixth-generation, or 6G, technologies to identify
potential supply chain and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The task
force will include government, public interest advocates, academics,
and industry.
The United States leads the world in the innovation of secure and
resilient next-generation technologies, a position congressional
Democrats and the Biden-Harris administration have fought to sustain.
Last year, the Biden-Harris administration released the National
Cybersecurity Strategy to tackle cybersecurity threats and created a
safer and more secure digital ecosystem. The FCC also developed the
Cyber Trust Mark program to make trustworthy products easily
identifiable to consumers.
The FUTURE Networks Act is yet another important step to support
America's leadership in a secure and reliable future. By directing the
FCC to engage in the exploration of 6G technology in the early stages
of its development, this bill would enable American values to be
embedded within the global framework for this technology and to ensure
it will be available to all Americans.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Communications and Technology Subcommittee
Ranking Member Matsui and Representative Walberg for their bipartisan
work on this bill, which passed unanimously out of the Energy and
Commerce Committee earlier this year.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1513, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), the sponsor of the bill.
Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1513, the FUTURE
Networks Act.
To maintain U.S. leadership in wireless communication, we need to be
proactive in our preparations for the next generation of networks.
This bill would direct the Federal Communications Commission to bring
together industry leaders, public interest groups, and government
experts to establish a 6G task force.
6G is going to be a global evolution in the way we communicate--not
only for people, but for devices, factories, infrastructure, and more.
It will be a global network of networks, handling information from
nearly every sector of our economy.
The race to 6G isn't just about faster phones. It is about national
security, the economy, and America's standing on the international
stage.
If we lead, this global technology will be based on our values:
democracy, open markets, and transparency. If we fall behind, America's
foreign adversaries will have a new venue to expand their reach. This
means less openness and more top-down control.
That is why I am so glad to see this bipartisan bill moving forward
today. It will ensure our brightest minds in industry, government, and
academia are advising the U.S. on the strategically vital development
of 6G.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of suspending the
rules and passing this legislation.
{time} 2130
Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support this bill that
protects us and keeps us in leadership on next generation technology,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a
``yes'' vote on this bill and yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. Rodgers) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1513.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mrs. RODGERS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas
and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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