Bipartisan legislation recently reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would safeguard communications networks from foreign adversary-controlled technology.
The Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act would require the Department of Commerce’s assistant secretary for communications and information to conduct a study of the national security risks posed by routers, modems, or devices that are designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, or Venezuela.
U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly (D-IL) and Bob Latta (R-OH) reintroduced the bill.
“I’m pleased to once again lead the ROUTERS Act, along with my fellow member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Congresswoman Kelly, to protect Americans from cyber threats posed by foreign adversary-controlled technology,” Latta said. “We are going to continue our efforts to make sure communist China cannot surveil, manipulate, and undermine the American people. The ROUTERS Act is a good step toward that worthwhile goal, and I look forward to its swift approval through Congress so it can be signed into law by President (Donald) Trump.”
The bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.