[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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