Henrico Times

Congressman Rob Wittman has introduced the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act, a bipartisan and bicameral legislative proposal. The bill mandates that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) disclose companies with FCC authorizations that are owned by foreign adversarial governments, including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

"The Chinese Communist Party is using every tool at its disposal to conduct a coordinated campaign to surveil and collect information on Americans," stated Rep. Wittman. "The FACT Act will help shine a light on the malign access and influence CCP-controlled companies have inside our technology and telecommunications markets."

The bill's original cosponsors in the House include Representatives Kathy Castor, Thomas Kean, and Ro Khanna. Senators Jacky Rosen, John Cornyn, and Ben Ray Luján are leading similar efforts in the Senate.

"As our adversaries target our communication systems, it’s critical the U.S. take steps to protect America’s telecommunications infrastructure," said Rep. Castor. She emphasized that this policy was part of a bipartisan report by her House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the US and the CCP.

Rep. Kean remarked on Congress' responsibility to safeguard American privacy: "The FACT Act will enable the FCC to hold adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party accountable for surveilling and collecting data on Americans."

Rep. Khanna added, "Our bill will expose foreign adversarial governments’ inside access to our telecommunications infrastructure."

Currently, there is no required public disclosure of companies linked to foreign adversaries within U.S. technology markets. Although some entities with ties to such governments continue holding certain approvals despite national security concerns.