U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) this week reintroduced the Team Telecom Act, which would help the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) avert potential telecom manipulation threats.
Team Telecom is the informal name for a makeshift interagency working group composed of representatives from the Departments of Defense (DOD), Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Johnson maintains the legislation would enable the agencies to assess and address national security and law enforcement issues associated with foreign applicants of certain categories of applications to FCC.
“This legislation would codify Team Telecom, making it a permanent part of the FCC’s official application process,” Johnson said. “The importance of getting this done hasn’t abated; if anything, it’s increased. This legislation would ensure this process will be viewed through the lens of national security while giving the team the ability to make recommendations to the FCC to dismiss, deny, or modify any applications they deem a threat.”
Johnson said in addition to formalizing the existing review process, the legislation builds on the policy coordination role of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in communicating executive branch views with the FCC.
The bill also normalizes deadlines for the interagency review of an application and requests provisional information to be submitted by applicants to NTIA.