Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3003) to direct the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information to take certain actions to enhance the representation of the United States and promote United States leadership in communications standards-setting bodies, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3003.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3003, the Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act of 2021. This legislation will help ensure the U.S. continues to lead the world in advanced communications technologies and deployments. It does that by directing the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA, to encourage participation by American stakeholders and standards- setting bodies, such as the Third Generation Partnership Project, better known as 3GPP, and the IEEE.

The legislation also calls on the NTIA to offer technical assistance to U.S. stakeholders that do elect to participate in developing standards for 5G networks and future generations of communication networks.

Other governments around the world are engaged in the standards- setting process for advanced telecommunications technologies, and discussions about 6G are already underway. This legislation will give our stakeholders the ability to better engage in policy choices that are being made today by the standards-setting bodies. These policy choices will have far-reaching implications for the development of 5G and other advanced communication technologies in the future.

By ensuring that globally developed standards meet the needs of the U.S. and our partners, this bill will help the U.S. continue to innovate. It will also help us guard against nontrusted actors hijacking standards-setting processes, which is an important component of our continued engagement on future communications technologies.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend this bipartisan effort from Representatives Walberg, Dingell, Johnson, and Kuster. I also want to thank our colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee and Chairman Meeks, in particular, for working with us to bring this legislation to the floor.

I hope we can come together on this important issue, and I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC, July 19, 2021.

Hon. Frank Pallone,

Chair, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chair Pallone: I am writing to you concerning, H.R.

3003, the Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act of

2021. This legislation contains provisions that fall within

the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In an effort to work cooperatively and to expedite the

consideration of the aforementioned bill, the Committee on

Foreign Affairs will waive referral of H.R. 3003. This,

however, is not a waiver of future jurisdictional claims by

the Committee on Foreign

Affairs over this or its subject matter. The House Foreign

Affairs Committee has already passed through Committee its

own legislation on 5G issues and will continue to legislate

and provide oversight on diplomatic and foreign policy

aspects of global telecommunications issues. Additionally, I

ask that you support the appointment of Committee on Foreign

Affairs conferees during any House-Senate conference convened

for this legislation.

Finally, thank you for agreeing to include a copy of our

exchange of letters in the Congressional Record during floor

consideration of H.R. 3003.

Sincerely,

Gregory W. Meeks,

Chair.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 3003, the Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act.

Our communications networks are a critically important asset for facilitating domestic and international commerce. For decades, the U.S. has led the development of wireless technology with like-minded nations. With the deployment of the next-generation wireless technology 5G, which is expected to skyrocket in the coming years and months, we must continue to focus on bolstering the foundational elements to make sure the United States continues to lead on future technological advances.

As these standards are set in global, industry-led standards bodies, we must enhance participation by U.S. companies and remain vigilant that bad actors don't game the system for their own economic and national security interests.

To keep accountability and ensure proper transparency, we must ensure participation by trusted like-minded partners. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA, plays a central role in these efforts as the executive branch agency with technical expertise on wireless innovation. It has decades of experience working with industry and other stakeholders to develop these technical standards globally. I would also like to thank the dedicated career staff who worked tirelessly to advance U.S. global wireless leadership.

As we move into the next decade, it is critical that we continue to enhance participation in critical standards-setting bodies and preserve U.S. wireless leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3003, again a very important piece in our infrastructure in this country, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3003, the Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act of 2021.

I want to thank my colleague from Michigan, Representative Dingell, as well as my fellow 5G Caucus co-chairs, Congressman Bill Johnson and Congresswoman Ann Kuster, for working with me on this important legislation to enhance United States' leadership in the development of wireless standards.

H.R. 3003 directs the NTIA to assist and encourage participation by trusted companies, both large and small, in international telecommunications standards-setting bodies like 3GPP and IEEE. These independent business-led entities determine the standards by which 5G operators, equipment manufacturers, software providers, and others build to.

Not surprisingly, countries like China are increasingly asserting their influence in these bodies in order to skew tech standards toward Chinese-controlled companies and their technologies.

We need a unified approach to push back against international competitors like Russia and China in order to protect U.S. national security, global competitiveness, and cost-effectiveness of wireless communications. Our bill does just that.

H.R. 3003 will undoubtedly help ensure the U.S. remains a leader in the future of tech.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3003, the Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act of 2021.

The policy choices of today will have lasting effects on the global 5G technology development of tomorrow.

This bipartisan bill, which I co-led with my fellow 5G Caucus co- chairs, Representatives Walberg, Kuster, and Johnson, would solidify United States leadership in 5G technology by encouraging interagency coordination, technical assistance, and stakeholder participation in international standard setting bodies.

We must take concrete steps to lower barriers to entry for U.S. companies and promote American competitiveness in this space.

This legislation will ensure the United States remains at the forefront of innovation in this evolving frontier by playing a central role in setting international wireless standards in emerging technologies. This approach has dramatic ramifications for our global competitiveness, 5G deployment, and our national security.

I strongly urge all my colleagues to support this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 212.

members recorded pursuant to house resolution 8, 117th congress

Aderholt (Moolenaar)

Buchanan (LaHood)

DeSaulnier (Matsui)

Doyle, Michael F. (Cartwright)

Frankel, Lois (Clark (MA))

Fulcher (Simpson)

Garcia (IL) (Garcia (TX))

Gottheimer (Panetta)

Granger (Calvert)

Grijalva (Stanton)

Johnson (TX) (Jeffries)

Jones (Williams (GA))

Kahele (Moulton)

Kirkpatrick (Stanton)

Lawson (FL) (Evans)

McEachin (Wexton)

Meng (Jeffries)

Napolitano (Correa)

Payne (Pallone)

Ruiz (Correa)

Rush (Underwood)

Stewart (Owens)

Trone (Beyer)

Wilson (FL) (Hayes)