Henrico Times

Congressman Rob Wittman's Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act has moved forward after passing through the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. This recent passage during the committee's markup session means the bill is now set for consideration on the House floor.

"I couldn't be more pleased to see my bipartisan bill advance through committee and move toward House floor consideration," Congressman Wittman stated. He emphasized concerns about the Chinese Communist Party, stating, "The Chinese Communist Party is using every tool at its disposal to conduct a coordinated campaign to surveil and collect information on Americans, and my FACT Act will help shine a light on the malign access and influence CCP-controlled companies have inside our technology and telecommunications markets."

The FACT Act mandates that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) disclose a list of companies that hold FCC authorizations and have any ownership by foreign adversarial governments such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

Introduced in January 2025, the bill is supported by U.S. Representatives Elise Stefanik, Kathy Castor, Thomas Kean, and Ro Khanna, who are cosponsors of the legislation.

Currently, no legal requirement exists for public disclosure of companies linked to foreign adversaries operating in U.S. technology and telecommunications markets. Although the FCC cannot grant licenses to those deemed national security threats, certain entities with foreign government ties still maintain approvals, highlighting the need for enhanced transparency.