Luján Chairs Broadband Subcommittee Hearing on Communications Networks Safety and Security

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband, convened the final subcommittee hearing of the 118th Congress titled "Communications Networks Safety and Security."

As Americans spend more time online, cybercriminals-both domestic and global-are finding new ways to disrupt and infiltrate U.S. telecommunications systems. During the hearing, Senator Luján focused on how these security threats pose risks to our communications networks and reviewed best practices and the tools available to providers and consumers to mitigate risks and strengthen our networks.

The hearing witnesses included:

• James Lewis, Senior Vice President and Director of the Technology and Public Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Justin Sherman, Founder and CEO of Global Cyber Strategies; Nonresident Senior Fellow for the Cyber Statecraft Initiative at the Atlantic Council
• Tim Donovan, President and CEO of the Competitive Carriers Association
• Dr. James Mulvenon, Chief Intelligence Officer at Pamir Consulting

Video of the hearing is available here.

An excerpt of Senator Luján's opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:

I think every Member on this Committee can agree that there is nothing more important than keeping our communities safe. That's why I have worked with my Commerce Committee colleagues to make our aviation system safer, to prevent roadway fatalities, and to protect consumers from fraud and scams.

It is also our responsibility to keep our communications networks safe, to ensure that foreign threat actors like China cannot infiltrate our infrastructure or steal Americans' data.

Currently, our communities-our schools, hospitals, and libraries; our police departments and emergency responders; do not have the resources to defend themselves against foreign adversaries.

The Salt Typhoon hacks that were discovered last month demonstrate that even the largest corporations in the United States are vulnerable. This attack likely represents the largest telecommunications hack in our nation's history. There is a lot we still don't know about the damage that was done by the Salt Typhoon hacks. But what we do know is that more must be done to prevent attacks like this in the future.

There are outstanding recommendations from federal agencies that must be fully implemented across our networks. This includes standards and best practices recommended by the FCC, Team Telecom, and other federal partners.

One obvious thing we can do today is get equipment manufactured by companies that collaborate with foreign adversaries out of our networks.

Congress passed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act in 2020, making it clear that we understand the vital importance of removing Huawei and ZTE equipment from every network across the country.

Unfortunately, the "Rip and Replace" program has remained partially unfunded for years, opening up our networks to unnecessary risks and preventable threats.

I am hopeful that there is strong bipartisan agreement to fully fund this program through this year's National Defense Authorization Act, and address one of the major known vulnerabilities facing our networks every day once and for all.

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