Congressman Richard Hudson, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, delivered an opening statement on July 22 at a legislative hearing focused on protecting communications networks and improving connectivity. The hearing addressed several bills aimed at securing networks from foreign threats, combating illegal robocalls, and enhancing connectivity for rural communities.
Hudson said, “We all know the frustration of receiving unwanted robocalls. Americans received an estimated 4.3 billion robocalls last month alone. Although some of these calls are legal—calls that the recipient has consented to receiving, such as from a school or pharmacy—illegal robocalls continue to be a problem. In fact, fraud perpetuated against Americans by illegal robocalls costs an average of $25 billion annually, primarily affecting those who cannot afford such losses. Additionally, fraudulent robocalls make us distrustful of legitimate callers, causing us to ignore calls from unknown numbers and often miss important calls.” He added that Congress enacted the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act in 2019 to address this issue by requiring call authentication and increasing fines for violations.
Hudson also discussed ongoing challenges: “Unfortunately, however, more still needs to be done. Bad actors continue to develop new ways to enter our networks. And many of these culprits are based abroad, making them hard to track down.” He said one bill under consideration would improve efforts to identify foreign bad actors behind illegal calls.
Addressing rural broadband access issues, Hudson said: “We are also considering legislation to improve our efforts to connect our unserved and underserved rural constituents…In 2022, the Government Accountability Office found that the federal government runs over 130 broadband programs across 15 different agencies.” He referenced recommendations for better coordination among programs and noted improvements made possible by the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband map.
He continued: “I know full well the immense importance of connecting unserved Americans…The USF is an important tool in our efforts to ensure universal connectivity.” Hudson highlighted potential reforms through bipartisan work with the Universal Service Fund Working Group.
Concluding his remarks about network security advancements using artificial intelligence (AI), Hudson said: “At a time when threats to our networks are at an all-time high, AI is a crucial tool to fight fire with fire and ensure one of our most critical systems is protected…we can always benefit from a greater understanding of how it can be implemented to maximize security.” The House Energy and Commerce Committee oversees legislation related to telecommunications policy among other areas; it was established in 1795 as one of Congress’s oldest standing committees, according to its official website.