ROUTERS Act

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the chair of the subcommittee, for yielding.

I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 866, the ROUTERS Act.

Routers and modems play a key role in communications networks. They are the entry point through which the public accesses the internet. Thus, we make sure that they are secure.

Bad actors can exploit vulnerabilities in routers to infect users' computers, access their information, or disrupt their network.

National security agencies, including the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security, have reported on the threat posed by vulnerabilities in routers and how some Chinese Communist Party-sponsored hackers have used these vulnerabilities to launch attacks. We should take these reports seriously.

Further, we know that companies with ties to the CCP could be forced to support Chinese intelligence activities. We can imagine how they could use vulnerabilities in their equipment to aid these efforts.

That is why I am pleased to sponsor the ROUTERS Act, which would direct the Secretary of Commerce through the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information to study the national security risk posed by routers and modems produced by companies with ties to foreign adversaries. This study will help Congress understand the scope and risk of this threat and will inform whether we need to remove this equipment from our networks.

The legislation builds on our bipartisan efforts to remove untrusted equipment from our communications ecosystem. In the past 5 years, we passed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act to remove Huawei and ZTE equipment from our networks and the Secure Equipment Act, which prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from authorizing equipment from untrusted vendors.

It is imperative we move forward with these efforts to mitigate the widespread availability of this equipment.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 866, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 866, the Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security Act, or the ROUTERS Act.

This legislation is an important step to provide Americans with the confidence to trust that the devices they use in their homes to connect to the internet are free from the influence of our foreign adversaries.

H.R. 866 accomplishes this objective by requiring the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, to study the national security risks and cybersecurity vulnerabilities in American homes posed by routers and modems manufactured or sold by entities with ties to our foreign adversary countries. The Secretary must also deliver a report to Congress of this study within 1 year.

It is crucial that we understand the cybersecurity and national security risks networks face from equipment that originates from our foreign adversaries. This is especially true given that our Nation's communication networks are an integral component of nearly every facet of American life, which also makes them prime targets for attack.

This legislation will help us better protect American families and our country from bad actors who want to carry out malicious attacks.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Kelly and Latta for their bipartisan work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 866, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to protect American citizens and support the ROUTERS Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 866) to direct the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, to conduct a study of the national security risks posed by consumer routers, modems, and devices that combine a modem and router, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 866, the ROUTERS Act, led by Chairman Latta, my good friend.

Nearly everyone in America has a router or a modem in their home, but these devices can have security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by our adversaries, unfortunately.

The ROUTERS Act would direct the Department of Commerce to study the national security risks and cybersecurity vulnerabilities posed by routers and modems produced by companies with ties to foreign adversaries. This study will help Congress understand the security of these devices.

This legislation passed by voice vote last Congress, and I urge my colleagues to support it once again.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this particular vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.