To direct the Federal Communications Commission to publish a list of entities that hold authorizations, licenses, or other grants of authority issued by the Commission and that have certain foreign ownership, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed SenateReported by Mr. Cruz, without amendment
Passed Senate (inferred from es version)
Mrs. Fischer (for herself, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Cornyn, and Mr. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires the FCC to publicly disclose all entities that hold FCC licenses (including spectrum licenses and submarine cable licenses) and have ownership or control by "covered countries" - foreign adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea (as defined in 10 U.S.C. 4872). The FCC must publish an initial list within 120 days, issue rules within 18 months to gather data on other license types, and update the list annually.
Who Benefits and How
The American public benefits from transparency about foreign adversary ownership of US communications infrastructure. National security agencies benefit from public disclosure requirements that aid monitoring. Policymakers gain visibility into foreign influence in the telecommunications sector.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The FCC bears the administrative burden of gathering ownership data and maintaining the public list. Telecommunications companies with foreign ownership must report their ownership structures. Companies controlled by foreign adversaries face reputational and potentially regulatory consequences from public disclosure.
Key Provisions
- Requires FCC to publish list of foreign adversary-owned/controlled license holders within 120 days
- Covers spectrum licenses (309(j)) and submarine cable licenses
- FCC must issue rules within 18 months to cover all other authorizations
- List must be updated at least annually
- Exempts the data collection from Paperwork Reduction Act requirements
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Requires the FCC to publish a list of all entities holding FCC authorizations, licenses, or grants that have ownership or control by foreign adversary governments or entities, enhancing transparency about foreign influence in US communications infrastructure.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Transparency and disclosure requirement to address national security concerns about foreign adversary ownership in communications sector"
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "commission"
- → Federal Communications Commission
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
As defined in section 9 of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019
A country specified in section 4872(f)(2) of title 10 USC (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea)
Government of a covered country, entity organized under laws of covered country, or subsidiary thereof
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology