On September 30, the House Republicans' China Task Force (CTF) released its report on the multi-faceted generational threat to the U.S. posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Included in the CTF report is the following key finding:
The U.S. and the CCP are in a global race for deployment of 5G wireless technology. The CCP seeks to increase its global power by building 5G infrastructure domestically and abroad to dominate standard-setting, technological development, and the global supply chain. The U.S. must promote private and public cooperation on rapid 5G deployment by private industry for consumer services and innovation, economic growth, and national security.
The CTF rightly emphasizes that "U.S. 5G deployment is driven entirely by the private sector" – as opposed to being government-driven as in communist China. The CTF report further emphasizes that "[s]ecuring U.S. networks and ensuring our allies take similar action are crucial components to maintain U.S. leadership in technology and protect the privacy of all Americans."
Several recommendations for addressing these concerns are included in the CTF report, along with lists of bills that have been introduced in Congress and that would implement those recommendations. (Although the CTF is comprised of only Republican House members, two-thirds of the legislative bills cited in the CTF report have bipartisan support.) One such recommendation is that Congress "pass legislation to streamline fixed and wireless communications network permitting processes at the federal, state, and local level to ensure all Americans are connected." As the CTF report explains: "[r]educing U.S. regulatory barriers will speed up deployment of broadband and 5G communications infrastructure, and that will promote a market for secure solutions not made in China."
Additionally, the CTF report includes this key finding:
U.S. leadership in advanced manufacturing across industrial sectors is imperative to put the U.S. on the leading edge of new products, processes, and services, as the CCP seeks to move up the value chain away from its traditional reliance on mass production of low-end goods to more high-tech manufacturing.
The CTF report recommends that the U.S. work with the United Kingdom as well as other nations to form a D-10 group of leading democratic nations that will focus on "developing and deploying 5G and subsequent generations, addressing 5G mobile communications and vulnerable supply chains, and leveraging technical expertise" in emerging technologies for the benefit of democratic nations.
The CTF report is available online here.
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