(May 1, 2025) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives has approved H.R. 906, the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act, aiming to boost protections against foreign interference in U.S. networks.
Current U.S. regulations do not mandate public disclosure of companies linked with foreign adversaries within the technology and telecommunications markets. Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) cannot issue new licenses to national security threats, certain companies connected to hostile governments still have some existing approvals.
The bipartisan legislation, introduced by U.S. Representative Robert Wittman and co-led by Congressman Tom Kean, Jr., mandates the FCC to publish a list of companies holding FCC authorizations with ownership ties to adversarial foreign governments, namely China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea.
Congressman Kean stated, “This week, Congress voted to protect the security and privacy of every American. I am pleased to have co-led this bipartisan effort, which strengthens the FCC’s ability to hold foreign adversaries like China and Russia accountable for exploiting our telecommunications infrastructure.”
Congressman Wittman emphasized the importance of the bill, “The House’s passage of my bipartisan FACT Act marks real progress in countering foreign threats to our tech infrastructure. This legislation is a critical step toward exposing the CCP’s malign influence and preventing foreign adversaries from having unfettered access to our telecommunications infrastructure.”
Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Brett Guthrie, expressed support, saying, “The enemies of America have made a concerted effort to destabilize and undermine our communications networks. The FACT Act will increase awareness of whether companies with licenses or other authorizations to access our networks have ties to adversaries.”
The full text of the bill is available for review.
