FUTURE Networks Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4045) to direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish a task force to be known as the ``6G Task Force'', and for other purposes, as amended.

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. 4045.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4045, the FUTURE Networks Act. Even as we await the full deployment and utilization of fifth generation, or 5G, wireless networks, U.S. communications and technology companies are collaborating on the next generation of networks; specifically, 6G networks.

We may not be able to predict now the technological innovation that will come with these networks, but based on our Nation's experience to this point, we can foresee the issues that will need to be addressed to get 6G networks off the ground. Issues like supply chain availability, security, and equality in deployment and adoption will all need to be reviewed and resolved; and, therefore, it is not too early for government and relevant stakeholders to begin discussing these issues now. That is the goal of H.R. 4045, the FUTURE Networks Act.

This bipartisan legislation would require the FCC to convene a task force to examine relevant 6G issues. The task force will be made up of stakeholders from industry, public interest organizations, academic institutions, and relevant Federal, State, local, and Tribal Government representatives.

Finding agreed-upon approaches and solutions to these issues now will make for a smoother transition in the future.

I want to thank our Communications and Technology Subcommittee chairman, Mike Doyle, as well as Representatives Johnson and McBath, for their bipartisan leadership on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it today, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Michael F. Doyle), who is the chairman of our Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the FUTURE Networks Act, which is a bill that I have introduced, along with my friends, Representatives Lucy McBath and Bill Johnson.

Our Nation's wireless networks are constantly evolving, bringing more innovative services and connectivity to our constituents. Over my time in Congress, I have watched wireless networks transform from the first iterations of digital technology to 3G, then 4G, and now 5G networks with achievable speeds well over 1 gigabit.

While these innovations have been extraordinary, the benefits have not flowed to all Americans equally, and we have seen related policy issues that have necessitated congressional action and regulatory steps from the FCC. To ensure that all Americans benefit from the next generation of wireless technology, 6G, we need to be considering it now.

The FUTURE Networks Act will require the Federal Communications Commission to create a 6G task force with members appointed by the chair and comprising representatives from trusted companies, public interest groups, and government representatives at every level of government, including Tribes. The mandate of the task force would be to report on possible uses, strengths, and limitations of 6G, including any supply chain, cybersecurity, or other limitations that would need to be addressed as the wireless technology evolves.

This bill would lay the groundwork for the policy considerations that will certainly arise, and it is good, forward-looking governance.

I want to thank the cosponsors for their efforts on the bill, Representatives Lucy McBath and Bill Johnson, and my bipartisan colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for their input and support to strengthen this measure throughout the process.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support the FUTURE Networks Act.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4045, the FUTURE Networks Act, which was introduced by Representatives Doyle, Johnson, and McBath.

This legislation will establish a task force at the Federal Communications Commission to follow industry-led progress in the development of 6G. The task force will be required to publish a report on the status of industry-led standards development, possible use-cases of 6G technology, and how best to facilitate the siting and infrastructure deployment of 6G technology.

While many parts of our country are waiting to see the new use-cases that 5G will drive, trusted vendors--including American companies--are leading the way on the fundamental aspects that will inform 6G. As the private sector identifies the contours of what this next generation of technology will look like, we must make sure that our regulatory environment will facilitate investment and innovation.

Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee have been spearheading efforts to deploy mobile

broadband like 5G and eventually 6G across the country through the Boosting Broadband Connectivity Agenda. I appreciate the majority including provisions in this bill to support comprehensive broadband deployment solutions to expand connectivity and fuel wireless innovation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I was delayed at a security screening. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 390.

Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

Barragan (Beyer)

Bucshon (Walorski)

Bustos (Brownley)

Cardenas (Soto)

Casten (Foster)

Crist (Wasserman Schultz)

DeFazio (Carbajal)

Demings (Soto)

Fulcher (Johnson (OH))

Hagedorn (Moolenaar)

Johnson (TX) (Jeffries)

Khanna (Raskin)

Lawrence (Johnson (GA))

Lawson (FL) (Evans)

Lesko (Miller (WV))

Moore (UT) (Curtis)

Palazzo (Fleischmann)

Payne (Norcross)

Porter (Wexton)

Posey (Cammack)

Ruiz (Aguilar)

Rush (Quigley)

Schneider (Wasserman Schultz)

Stewart (Curtis)

Swalwell (Gomez)

Tiffany (Arrington)

Underwood (Quigley)

Vela (Gomez)

Watson Coleman (Norcross)

Wilson (FL) (Hayes)

Madam Speaker, on Wednesday December 1, 2021, l was unavoidably detained and unable to cast my vote on three roll call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes'' on roll call 389, passage of H.R. 2685; I would have voted ``Yes'' on roll call 390, passage of H.R. 4045; and I would have voted ``Yes'' on roll call 391, passage of H.R. 4055.