Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act requires the Federal Communications Commission to publish and maintain a public list of communications-license holders with ownership or control ties to covered foreign adversary countries. Covered countries are defined by reference to 10 U.S.C. 4872(f)(2), including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Within 120 days, the FCC must list covered spectrum license holders and submarine cable license holders with reportable covered-entity interests or national-security determinations of control. Within 18 months, the FCC must issue rules to extend the data collection to all other FCC authorizations, licenses, and grants of authority. The list must be updated at least annually.
Who Benefits and How
The American public, Congress, national security agencies, U.S.-owned telecommunications competitors, and communications-infrastructure watchdogs benefit from public visibility into foreign-adversary ownership in spectrum, submarine cables, and other FCC-authorized assets. The public list creates a centralized transparency tool for oversight and market scrutiny.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The FCC must collect ownership data, publish and maintain the list, conduct rulemaking, update the list annually, and coordinate with national security agencies. Telecommunications entities with covered foreign-adversary ownership, Chinese-owned telecom entities, Russian-linked communications firms, Iranian-linked entities, and North Korean-linked entities face public disclosure, reputational risk, and potential follow-on regulatory scrutiny.
Key Provisions
- Defines covered countries and covered entities.
- Requires a public FCC list of covered spectrum and submarine cable license holders within 120 days.
- Requires national-security agency determinations to be reflected in the list.
- Requires FCC rulemaking within 18 months for all other authorizations.
- Requires at least annual list updates.
- Exempts the data collection from Paperwork Reduction Act delay.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires the FCC to publish and update a public list of communications-license holders and authorization holders with ownership or control ties to foreign adversary governments or covered entities.
Key Policy Areas
Telecommunications, National Security, Foreign Investment, Government Transparency
Primary Purpose
Requires the FCC to publish and update a public list of communications-license holders and authorization holders with ownership or control ties to foreign adversary governments or covered entities.
Policy Domains
Whole bill
Identified Gains
- American public
- Congress
- National security agencies
- U.S.-owned telecommunications competitors
- Communications-infrastructure watchdogs
Identified Costs
- Federal Communications Commission
- Telecommunications entities with foreign adversary ownership
- Chinese-owned telecommunications entities
- Russian-linked communications firms
- Iranian-linked entities
- North Korean-linked entities
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed SenateHeld at the desk.
Received in the House.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice …
Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S7734; …
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz …
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. …
Reported by Mr. Cruz, without amendment
Passed Senate (inferred from es version)
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Chinese-owned telecommunications entities in US, Telecommunications entities with foreign adversary ownership, US-owned telecommunications competitors
Positive-direction: US-owned telecommunications competitors
Negative-direction: Chinese-owned telecommunications entities in US, Telecommunications entities with foreign adversary ownership
Federal Communications Commission, National security agencies
Positive-direction: National security agencies
Negative-direction: Federal Communications Commission
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
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