I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4029 
To amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
Organization Act to establish an interagency national security review 
process, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 22, 2021 
Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration Organization Act to establish an inter-
agency national security review process, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Timely Evaluation of 
Acquisitions, Mergers, or Transactions with External, 
Lawful Entities to Clear Owners and Management Act’’ 
or the ‘‘TEAM TELECOM Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY NATIONAL SE-
CURITY REVIEW PROCESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part A of the National Tele-
communications and Information Administration Organi-
zation Act (47 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 106. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY NATIONAL 
SECURITY REVIEW PROCESS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, the Assist-
ant Secretary, in coordination with the head of each ap-
propriate Federal entity, shall develop and issue proce-
dures for, and establish, an interagency review process 
(which shall include each appropriate Federal entity) that 
considers the law enforcement and national security policy 
implications of the approval of a covered application that 
may arise from the foreign ownership interests held in the 
covered applicant that submitted the covered application. 
‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY.—Any covered application pend-
ing before the Commission that was submitted by a cov-
ered applicant with more than the threshold foreign own-
ership limit, after the covered applicant declines an oppor-
tunity to remedy the foreign ownership of the covered ap-
plicant, is subject to review under the review process es-
tablished pursuant to subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) PROCESS AND PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS.— 
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‘‘(1) REFERRAL FOR REVIEW.— 
‘‘(A) REQUIREMENT FOR FCC TO REFER 
COMPLETE
APPLICATION.—The 
Commission 
shall refer any covered application subject to 
the review process established pursuant to sub-
section (a) to the Assistant Secretary promptly 
after the Commission determines that the cov-
ered application, under the rules and regula-
tions of the Commission, is complete. 
‘‘(B) REFERRAL OF OTHER REQUESTS.— 
The Commission may refer for review under the 
review process established pursuant to sub-
section (a) any other request for action by the 
Commission for which the Commission deter-
mines review is necessary under such process. 
‘‘(2) INTERAGENCY REVIEW DEADLINE; DETER-
MINATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 120 
days after the date on which the Assistant Sec-
retary receives a referral from the Commission 
pursuant to paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(i) the review of the covered applica-
tion or other request under the review 
process established pursuant to subsection 
(a) shall be completed; 
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‘‘(ii) the Assistant Secretary, in co-
ordination with the head of each appro-
priate Federal entity, shall make a deter-
mination— 
‘‘(I) to recommend to the Com-
mission that the Commission grant, 
grant conditioned on mitigation, or 
deny the application or other request; 
or 
‘‘(II) that the Assistant Secretary 
cannot make a recommendation with 
respect to the covered application or 
other request; and 
‘‘(iii) if the Assistant Secretary deter-
mines under clause (ii) that the Assistant 
Secretary cannot make a recommendation 
with respect to the covered application or 
other request, the President shall make a 
determination to recommend to the Com-
mission that the Commission grant, grant 
conditioned on mitigation, or deny the cov-
ered application or other request. 
‘‘(B) EXTENSION.—The Assistant Sec-
retary, in coordination with the head of each 
appropriate Federal entity, may extend the 
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deadline described in subparagraph (A) an ad-
ditional 45 days. 
‘‘(C) NOTIFICATION
OF
EXTENSION.—If 
the Assistant Secretary, in coordination with 
the head of each appropriate Federal entity, ex-
tends the deadline pursuant to subparagraph 
(B), the Assistant Secretary shall notify the 
covered applicant or other requesting party of 
the extension. 
‘‘(3) NOTIFICATION OF DETERMINATION.—Not 
later than 3 days (excepting Saturdays, Sundays, 
and legal holidays) after the Assistant Secretary or 
the President (as the case may be) makes a deter-
mination under paragraph (2)(A) to recommend that 
the Commission grant, grant conditioned on mitiga-
tion, or deny the application or other request, the 
Assistant Secretary shall notify the Commission and 
the covered applicant or other requesting party of 
the determination. 
‘‘(4) DISCLOSURE OF STATUS OF REVIEW.—Not 
later than 5 days (excepting Saturdays, Sundays, 
and legal holidays) after receiving an inquiry from a 
covered applicant or other requesting party for an 
update with respect to the status of review of the 
covered application or other request of the covered 
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applicant or other requesting party that was referred 
by the Commission for review under the review proc-
ess established pursuant to subsection (a), the As-
sistant Secretary, in coordination with the head of 
each appropriate Federal entity, shall provide, con-
sistent with the protection of classified information 
and intelligence sources and methods, a complete 
and accurate response to the covered applicant or 
other requesting party, the Commission, and the ap-
propriate congressional committees. 
‘‘(5) STANDARDIZATION OF INFORMATION RE-
QUIRED.—In the review process established pursuant 
to subsection (a), the Assistant Secretary, in coordi-
nation with the head of each appropriate Federal en-
tity, shall establish a list of questions requesting in-
formation from a covered applicant or other request-
ing party that shall be made publicly available and 
posted on the internet website of NTIA. Such ques-
tions shall, to the maximum extent possible, be 
standardized for any potential covered applicant or 
other requesting party. 
‘‘(6) DEADLINE FOR PROVISION OF INFORMA-
TION REQUESTED.—Not later than 10 days after the 
date on which the Assistant Secretary, in coordina-
tion with the head of each appropriate Federal enti-
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ty, requests information from a covered applicant or 
other requesting party, the covered applicant or 
other requesting party shall submit to the NTIA 
complete and accurate responses. 
‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion may be construed as limiting, superseding, or pre-
venting the invocation of any privileges or defenses that 
are otherwise available at law or in equity to protect 
against the disclosure of information. 
‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’ means the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate. 
‘‘(2) APPROPRIATE
FEDERAL
ENTITIES.—The 
term ‘appropriate Federal entities’ means the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) The Department of Commerce. 
‘‘(B) The Department of Defense. 
‘‘(C) The Department of Energy. 
‘‘(D) The Department of Homeland Secu-
rity. 
‘‘(E) The Department of Justice. 
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‘‘(F) The Department of the Treasury. 
‘‘(G) The Department of State. 
‘‘(H) The United States Trade Represent-
ative. 
‘‘(I) The Federal Bureau of Investigation. 
‘‘(J) The Executive Office of the Presi-
dent. 
‘‘(3) CLASSIFIED
INFORMATION.—The term 
‘classified information’ means any information or 
material that has been determined by the Federal 
Government pursuant to an Executive order, statute, 
or regulation, to require protection against unau-
thorized disclosure for reasons of national security. 
‘‘(4) COVERED APPLICANT.—The term ‘covered 
applicant’ means an entity seeking approval of a 
covered application from the Commission. 
‘‘(5) COVERED APPLICATION.—The term ‘cov-
ered application’ means— 
‘‘(A) an application under section 214(a) 
of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
214(a)) for authorization to undertake the con-
struction of a new line or of an extension of any 
line, or to acquire or operate any line, or exten-
sion thereof, or to engage in transmission over 
or by means of such additional or extended line; 
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‘‘(B) an application under the Act entitled 
‘An Act relating to the landing and operation of 
submarine cables in the United States,’ ap-
proved May 27, 1921 (47 U.S.C. 34 et seq.; 42 
Stat. 8) for— 
‘‘(i) a submarine cable landing license; 
or 
‘‘(ii) an assignment or transfer of con-
trol of a submarine cable landing license; 
or 
‘‘(C) an application for a new license, or 
for the transfer, assignment, or disposal of an 
existing license under section 310(d) of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
310(d)), that is— 
‘‘(i) subject to approval by the Com-
mission under section 310(b)(4) of such 
Act (47 U.S.C. 310(b)(4)); or 
‘‘(ii) eligible, under the rules of the 
Commission, for forbearance under section 
10 of such Act (47 U.S.C. 160) from the 
application of paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of 
section 310(b) of such Act (47 U.S.C. 
310(b)). 
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‘‘(6) 
THRESHOLD
FOREIGN
OWNERSHIP 
LIMIT.—The term ‘threshold foreign ownership limit’ 
means foreign ownership of, as applicable— 
‘‘(A) at least the amount determined by 
the Commission under section 214(a) of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
214(a)), in the case of an application described 
in paragraph (5)(A) of this subsection; 
‘‘(B) any amount, in the case of an appli-
cation described in paragraph (5)(B) of this 
subsection; or 
‘‘(C) at least an amount sufficient for sec-
tion 310(b) of such Act (47 U.S.C. 310(b)) to 
apply, in the case of an application described in 
paragraph (5)(C) of this subsection.’’. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.—This section, and the amend-
ment made by this section, shall apply to any covered ap-
plication (as such term is defined in section 106 of the 
National Telecommunications and Information Adminis-
tration Organization Act, as added by subsection (a)) filed 
on or after the date on which the review process is estab-
lished pursuant to such section 106. 
Æ 
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