HR2061-119

What This Bill Does

The Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act requires a two-step Commerce Department process. Within one year, the Secretary of Commerce, acting through NTIA, must report to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Commerce Committee on ICT critical to U.S. economic competitiveness, the industrial capacity of U.S. and trusted vendors, the competitiveness of those vendors, telecom-provider dependence on untrusted ICT, federal actions needed to bolster trusted vendors, and resources needed to reduce dependence on untrusted companies. Commerce must then develop a whole-of-government strategy based on that report and submit it within 180 days. The strategy must recommend changes to federal structure, resources, authorities, programs, and laws; define agency lines of effort; and describe additional resources needed. Commerce must consult trusted ICT vendors and the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, the Attorney General, the Director of National Intelligence, the FCC Chair, and other necessary agency heads. The bill defines untrusted companies by determinations under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act.

Who Benefits and How

Trusted ICT vendors benefit because the strategy must identify federal actions and resources to strengthen their competitiveness. U.S. telecommunications providers benefit from a federal plan to reduce dependence on untrusted communications technology. Congressional commerce committees benefit from required reports on ICT supply-chain risks, industrial capacity, and agency responsibilities. National security planners benefit from a Commerce-led process that ties vendor trust determinations to supply-chain competitiveness.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration must lead the report, vendor consultation, strategy development, and congressional submissions. Commerce Department officials must assess industrial capacity, competitiveness, dependencies, federal actions, and needed resources. State, Homeland Security, Justice, intelligence, and FCC officials must participate in interagency consultation. Untrusted ICT vendors face federal strategy attention aimed at reducing U.S. provider dependence on their technology.

Key Provisions

• Requires a Commerce Department report on critical ICT, trusted vendor capacity, competitiveness, and untrusted-technology dependence.
• Requires a whole-of-government strategy within 180 days after the report.
• Directs the strategy to assign federal agency responsibilities and recommend structural, legal, program, and resource changes.
• Requires consultation with trusted ICT vendors and national-security, law-enforcement, intelligence, and communications agencies.