Washington, D.C. - Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers delivered opening remarks at Wednesday’s hearing on securing America’s wireless networks.
Excerpts and highlights from her prepared remarks:
WIN 5G, WIN 6G, WIN THE FUTURE
“America’s global leadership and ability to win the future depends on our capacity to harness the wireless technologies that will shape our nation and the world in the coming decades. Networks will continue to get faster, stronger, and connect more people and devices than ever before.
“We are already preparing for the many life-altering-and even life-saving-benefits of 5G. From enabling autonomous vehicles and the Internet of Things, to improving access to remote health care services, including life-saving remote surgeries, to empowering farmers to increase crop yields and fight hunger through precision agriculture.
“And 6G promises to integrate our lives even more with the digital world."
SECURING AMERICAN WIRELESS NETWORKS
“5G and future generations of wireless networks will fuel innovation and entrepreneurship and help connect millions of Americans, which is why they must be secure.
“We must make certain that America, not China, is capturing this innovation, as well as developing and eventually deploying these technologies. We do not want countries like China making the rules and leading in technologies-like 5G and 6G-that could give them so much control over American lives and industries.
“The more we rely on communications infrastructure in our daily lives, the more critical it becomes to ensure our network is secure from those who seek to do us harm. We recognize the potential threats that come from not having a robust and secure supply chain, and we need to find solutions.
“We already have a track-record of unity and success on these issues on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Our bipartisan work in the last Congress helped fund the removal and replacement of untrusted equipment through The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act.
“We also came together to catalyze the development and deployment of new Open-RAN compatible technologies by passing the USA Telecommunications Act. It established a grant program for the deployment of Open RAN compatible technology in our networks. I urge for that to be funded quickly to spur the development of a robust, trusted equipment marketplace.
“And that is just the beginning! As we remove untrusted equipment from our domestic networks, we must look to the future and consider what the availability of trusted vendors will be in the years to come."
UNLEASHING INNOVATION AND AMERICAN LEADERSHIP
“As our mobile networks advance, we must also make sure regulations don’t hold back new technologies that have the potential to improve our quality of life and secure America’s leadership.
“Cloud-native networks can push software and security upgrades more quickly than their predecessors and can help speed the transition from 4G to 5G for those operators that utilize them.
“Multi-edge computing and network slicing will allow operators to manage the influx of devices and new industries all demanding access to high performance network resources.
“While the benefits of virtualized networks bring new opportunities, regulators should resist the urge to create unnecessary, burdensome regulations that hamper American innovation and give other countries a competitive edge.
“As the Chinese Communist Party seeks to control our technological future, it is critical that we encourage trusted companies to participate and lead in international standards bodies and make sure Americans are at the helm of these organizations.
“Americans like Doreen Bogdan-Martin, candidate for Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union, who I support. Doreen shares the values of openness, transparency, and connectivity for all - and she would represent us well in this role."
