A bill to liberalize controls on the export of telecommunications equipment and technology in order to promote democracy and free communication and enhance economic competitiveness.

Summary: Directs the Secretary of Commerce to propose to the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) (or to its successor export control regime), and to any other export control regime which maintains controls on telecommunications equipment and technology, that exports of telecommunications technology for civil end uses shall not require a validated license or reexport authorization for export or reexport to any of the republics of the former Soviet Union, China, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Estonia, Lithuania, or Latvia. 
Requires the President to submit to specified congressional committees a report that certifies that such proposal was made and that outlines plans to gain the concurrence of other members of COCOM or the appropriate regime in the proposal.

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    (a) The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The free exchange of ideas and information through 
        modern, reliable telecommunications equipment fosters the 
        development of democratic institutions, the promotion of free 
        market economic reforms, and the facilitation of international 
        commerce.
            (2) Exports of advanced telecommunications equipment and 
        technology contribute to the United States economic 
        competitiveness and high-skill, high-wage jobs in the United 
        States.
            (3) Export restrictions on telecommunications equipment and 
        technology are outdated, controlling the export of equipment 
        and technology that is more than 10 years old and has over 15 
        times less capacity than similar equipment and technology in 
        use today in the United States.
            (4) Foreign availability of telecommunications equipment 
        and technology exists both from countries that do not belong to 
        or cooperate with the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral 
        Export Controls, and from within countries to which exports of 
        such equipment and technology are controlled by agreement of 
        the Coordinating Committee.

SEC. 2. EXPORT CONTROLS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 5(c) of the Export Administration Act of 
1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2404(c)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
            ``(8)(A) The Secretary shall, not later than 30 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this paragraph, propose to COCOM 
        or to its successor export control regime, and to any other 
        export control regime which maintains controls on 
        telecommunications equipment and technology, that exports of 
        telecommunications equipment and telecommunications technology 
        for civil and uses shall not require a validated license or 
        reexport authorization for export or reexport to any of the 
        republics of the former Soviet Union, the People's Republic of 
        China, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, 
        Albania, Estonia, Lithuania, or Latvia.
            ``(B) For the purposes of this paragraph--
                    ``(i) the term `telecommunications equipment' 
                includes--
                            ``(I) telephone switching systems and 
                        stored program controlled communications 
                        switching systems, including related features 
                        and components that provide services and 
                        management of telecommunications networks;
                            ``(II) telecommunications transmission 
                        equipment;
                            ``(III) microwave, light wave, and other 
                        radio relay, transmitting, or test equipment, 
                        and related components and accessories;
                            ``(IV) telecommunications cables and 
                        components, including optical fibers and 
                        optical fiber cables;
                            ``(V) equipment containing frequency 
                        synthesizers when used in land-based mobile 
                        communications systems;
                            ``(VI) equipment described in any of 
                        clauses (I) through (V), or any other 
                        telecommunications equipment, that contains 
                        lasers;
                            ``(VII) computer hardware and application 
                        specific software which are related to any of 
                        the items described in clauses (I) through (V) 
                        and are required for data communications;
                            ``(VIII) all spare parts, components, and 
                        measuring or test equipment related to any of 
                        the items described in clauses (I) through 
                        (VII); and
                            ``(IX) any other equipment controlled by 
                        Parts I or II of Category 5 of the Commerce 
                        Control List as of July 1, 1993;
                    ``(ii) the term `telecommunications technology' 
                means technology related to telecommunications 
                equipment, including technology for the production, 
                development, and use of telecommunications equipment;
                    ``(iii) the term `telecommunications networks' 
                includes local area, intracity, intercity, and 
                international telecommunications networks; and
                    ``(iv) the term `telecommunications' means voice, 
                video, and data communications over any public or 
                private network or broadcasting system, and services 
                related to such communications.
    ``(b) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the Speaker of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs of the Senate a report certifying that the proposal 
required by section 5(c)(8) of the Export Administration Act of 1979 
(as added by subsection (a) of this section) has been made to the 
members of the Coordinating Committee or to its successor export 
control regime, and to any other export control regime which maintains 
controls on telecommunications equipment and technology, and outlining 
the plans to gain the concurrence of the other members of the Committee 
or the appropriate regime in the proposal.''.