117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3344 
AN ACT 
To prioritize the efforts of and enhance coordination among 
United States agencies to encourage countries in Central 
and Eastern Europe to improve the security of their 
telecommunications networks, 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 ‘‘Transatlantic Tele-
communications Security Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS; STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) fifth and future generation’s telecommuni-
cation networks in allied and partner countries 
based on common, secure, transparent, democratic 
standards have the potential to increase cultural, po-
litical, and economic exchanges leading to mutual 
job creation, closer citizen relations, and stronger 
democratic institutions; 
(2) Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and illegal 
invasion of Ukraine and the People’s Republic of 
China’s tacit support for Russian Federation’s ac-
tions demonstrate the importance of secure tele-
communication infrastructure in Central and East-
ern European nations; 
(3) the United States has national security and 
economic interests in assisting Central and Eastern 
European countries to improve the security of their 
telecommunication networks by reducing dependence 
on covered telecommunication equipment or services 
that are often offered with predatory economic in-
ducements and replacing them with secure tele-
communication equipment or services; 
(4) China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the 
17+1 Initiative seek to undermine Central and 
Eastern Europe’s infrastructure resilience and sov-
ereignty through predatory inducements from state- 
linked providers of telecommunication equipment or 
services such as Huawei Technologies Company and 
ZTE Corporation; 
(5) China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law ob-
ligates Chinese businesses to fully cooperate with 
state intelligence work, and thereby compromises the 
integrity of any network that utilizes equipment 
from Chinese companies because providers could be 
forced to hand over sensitive data or shut down net-
works at the command of China; 
(6) Russia’s campaign to elect a Russian na-
tional, who is a former Huawei Technologies Com-
pany executive, to serve as the Secretary-General of 
the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is 
indicative of China and Russia’s efforts to use inter-
national organizations to promote their interests and 
their malign influence; 
(7) at global fora such as the ITU, the United 
States Government should actively support can-
didates that espouse democratic values, internet 
freedoms, and secure telecommunication networks; 
(8) the United States International Develop-
ment Finance Corporation’s development priorities, 
as described in section 1412 of the Better Utiliza-
tion of Investments Leading to Development Act of 
2018, properly includes a focus on less developed 
countries; 
(9) the United States should assemble a coali-
tion of democratic and like-minded allies and part-
ners to counter the rise of global malign actors such 
as China and Russia and build resilience in Central 
and Eastern Europe against malign influences; and 
(10) in order to ensure robust military coordi-
nation and interoperability with the North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization (NATO) and transatlantic al-
lies and partners, the United States should ensure 
that allies and partners’ telecommunication networks 
are secure and free from potential threats in accord-
ance with the 2019 NATO London Declaration. 
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 
United States— 
(1) to strengthen the transatlantic alliance 
based on shared values in the face of rising malign 
influence from the People’s Republic of China and
the Russian Federation, countries that seek to un-
dermine democratic institutions and values; 
(2) to encourage public and private sector in-
vestment in European telecommunication infrastruc-
ture projects to ensure secure telecommunication 
and to catalyze economic advancement through the 
highest standards of transparency, accessibility, and 
competition; 
(3) to provide economically feasible alternatives 
to financing from providers of covered telecommuni-
cation equipment or services; 
(4) to engage in diplomacy with European allies 
and partners to strengthen the United States and 
European private sector efforts to develop common 
telecommunication technology and industry stand-
ards, and in turn promote them globally; 
(5) to support the Three Seas Initiative orga-
nized by 12 Central and Eastern European countries 
of the European Union to increase infrastructure re-
siliency and reduce reliance on malign actors, includ-
ing in the telecommunication space; 
(6) to enhance telecommunication security and 
freedom around the globe by engaging in elections at 
the ITU and promoting the candidacies of individ-
uals that will promote democratic values, the rule of
law, technological freedoms, and telecommunication 
security; 
(7) to support the people of Ukraine, Moldova, 
Georgia, and the Western Balkan countries in their 
desire for integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions 
and economies through enhanced cross-border tele-
communication infrastructure connectivity; and 
(8) to ensure that frontline NATO allies have 
telecommunication services that cannot be controlled 
by China or Russia, especially considering Russia’s 
illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine. 
SEC. 3. INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION SE-
CURITY CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR. 
(a) APPOINTMENT.—Not later than 30 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 
shall appoint, from among existing personnel of the De-
partment of State, an International Telecommunication 
Union Security Campaign Director (in this section re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Director’’). 
(b) DUTIES.—The Director shall— 
(1) lead efforts to promote candidates for elec-
tions at the International Telecommunication Union 
(ITU) who will support and defend democratic val-
ues, internet freedom, and telecommunication secu-
rity;
(2) coordinate with other officials of the De-
partment of State, the Department of Commerce, 
the Federal Communications Commission, and other 
Federal departments and agencies to ensure efforts 
described in paragraph (1) are carried out in an or-
ganized, nimble, efficient, and effective manner; 
(3) work with stakeholders in the private sector 
to harmonize efforts and to galvanize focus on elec-
tions at the ITU; 
(4) use diplomatic tools of the Department of 
State to bolster support for candidates for elections 
at the ITU who will support and defend democratic 
values, internet freedom, and telecommunication se-
curity; 
(5) brief Congress regularly on the implementa-
tion of the duties described in paragraphs (1) 
through (4) and, if appropriate, on requests for ad-
ditional legislative authority necessary to enhance 
telecommunication security and freedom around the 
globe as described in section 2(b)(6); and 
(6) report to the Assistant Secretary of State 
for International Organization Affairs regularly on 
development, progress, or setbacks with respect to 
support to the people of Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia,
and the Western Balkan countries as described in 
section 2(b)(7). 
(c) SUNSET.—This section shall terminate on Octo-
ber 31, 2022. 
SEC. 4. PRIORITIZATION OF EFFORTS AND ASSISTANCE 
FOR 
TELECOMMUNICATION 
INFRASTRUC-
TURE PROJECTS IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN 
EUROPE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the policy de-
scribed in section 2(b), the Secretary of State, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary of Commerce, the Chief Executive 
Officer of the United States International Development 
Finance Corporation, the Director of the Trade and Devel-
opment Agency, the head of the Federal Communications 
Commission, and the heads of other relevant Federal de-
partments and agencies, shall, as appropriate, prioritize 
and expedite the efforts of the Department of State and 
those departments and agencies in supporting the efforts 
of the European Commission and the governments of Cen-
tral and Eastern European countries to improve the secu-
rity of their telecommunication networks, including 
through providing diplomatic and political support to the 
European Commission and Central and Eastern European 
countries, as necessary—
(1) to ensure European telecommunication net-
works are built securely, consistent with democratic 
values and principles such as privacy, including 
through early-stage project support and late-stage 
project support for the construction or improvement 
of telecommunication and related infrastructure; 
(2) to remove covered telecommunication equip-
ment or services and replace such equipment or serv-
ices with secure telecommunication equipment or 
services; 
(3) to support the development of telecommuni-
cation networks that are inclusive, transparent, eco-
nomically viable, financially, environmentally, and 
socially sustainable, compliant with international 
standards, laws, and regulations, and supplied by 
providers of secure telecommunication equipment or 
services; and 
(4) to facilitate international coordination on 
cross-border telecommunication infrastructure con-
struction and security standards to ensure cross-bor-
der telecommunications are secure. 
(b) PROJECT SELECTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, the 
Chief Executive Officer of the United States Inter-
national Development Finance Corporation, and the
ment or services and replaces such equip-
ment or services with secure telecommuni-
cation equipment or services; and 
(B) the project is located in a covered 
country. 
(3) PREFERENCE.—In selecting among projects 
that are eligible under paragraph (2), the heads of 
the Federal departments and agencies specified in 
subsection (a) shall give preference to projects 
that— 
(A) are located in Ukraine; 
(B) can attract funding from the private 
sector, an international financial institution, the 
government of the country in which the project 
will be carried out, or the European Commis-
sion; 
(C) have been designated as available for 
funding through the Three Seas Initiative In-
vestment Fund; 
(D) are to be carried out in the Three Seas 
Initiative member nations; 
(E) are to be carried out in NATO mem-
ber states that meet or are making progress to-
ward meeting their commitments to upholding 
the rule of law and preserving democratic insti-
tutions in accordance with the preamble and 
Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty; 
(F) are to be carried out in NATO mem-
ber states that meet or are making demon-
strable progress toward meeting their defense 
spending commitments in accordance with the 
2014 NATO Wales Summit Declaration; or 
(G) have the potential to advance United 
States economic interests. 
(c) TYPES OF ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) DIPLOMATIC
AND
POLITICAL
SUPPORT.— 
The Secretary of State shall provide diplomatic and 
political support to the covered countries, as nec-
essary, including by using the diplomatic and polit-
ical influence and expertise of the Department of 
State to build the capacity of covered countries to 
resolve any impediments to the development of 
projects selected under subsection (b). 
(2) INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 
SUPPORT.—The Secretary of State shall seek to en-
courage international financial institutions, including 
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Develop-
ment, the European Investment Bank, and the 
International Monetary Fund, the Foreign, Com-
monwealth, and Development Office of the Govern-
ment of the United Kingdom, the Agency for Inter-
national Cooperation of the Government of Ger-
many, and the Development Agency of the Govern-
ment of France to invest in telecommunication infra-
structure resilience in Central and Eastern Europe. 
(3) EARLY-STAGE PROJECT SUPPORT.—The Di-
rector of the Trade and Development Agency shall 
provide early-stage project support with respect to 
projects selected under subsection (b), as necessary. 
(4) 
LATE-STAGE
PROJECT
SUPPORT.—The 
heads of the Federal departments and agencies spec-
ified in subsection (a) that provide late-stage project 
support shall do so, with respect to projects selected 
under subsection (b), as necessary. 
(5) UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL DEVELOP-
MENT
FINANCE
CORPORATION
SUPPORT.—The 
United States International Development Finance 
Corporation is authorized to provide support for 
projects under this section in covered countries that 
are countries with upper-middle-income economies or 
high-income economies (as those terms are defined 
by the International Bank for Reconstruction and 
Development and the International Development As-
sociation (collectively referred to as the ‘‘World 
Bank’’)), notwithstanding the restriction contained
in section 1412(c)(2) of the Better Utilization of In-
vestments Leading to Development Act of 2018 (22 
U.S.C. 9612(c)(2)). 
SEC. 5. REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter 
for 5 years, the President shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report on the progress made 
in providing assistance for projects under section 4 that 
includes— 
(1) a description of the telecommunications in-
frastructure projects the United States has identi-
fied for such assistance; and 
(2) for each such project— 
(A) a description of the role of the United 
States in the project, including in early-stage 
project support and late-stage project support; 
(B) the amount and form of debt financ-
ing, equity financing, and insurance provided by 
the United States Government, the Three Seas 
Initiative Investment Fund, and international 
financial institutions, including the European 
Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the 
European Investment Bank, and the Inter-
national Monetary Fund, the Foreign, Com-
monwealth, and Development Office of the Gov-
ernment of the United Kingdom, the Agency for 
International Cooperation of the Government of 
Germany, and the Development Agency of the 
Government of France for the project; 
(C) the contractual terms of the project 
that preclude the use of covered telecommuni-
cation equipment or services and steps taken to 
ensure providers of telecommunication equip-
ment or services meet such contractual terms; 
and 
(D) an update on the progress made on 
the project as of the date of the report. 
(b) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COVERED
COUNTRY.—The term ‘‘covered 
country’’ includes—
(A) any member state of the North Atlan-
tic Treaty Organization that— 
(i) shares a border with the Russian 
Federation; and 
(ii) according to World Bank official 
data for 2020, has a Gross Domestic Prod-
uct per capita, adjusted for purchasing 
power parity, of less than $45,000; and 
(B) any European country that— 
(i) has not participated or aided in 
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; and 
(ii) according to World Bank official 
data for 2020, has a Gross Domestic Prod-
uct per capita, adjusted for purchasing 
power parity, of less than $34,000. 
(2) COVERED
TELECOMMUNICATION
EQUIP-
MENT
OR
SERVICES.—The term ‘‘covered tele-
communication equipment or services’’ means any of 
the following: 
(A) Telecommunication equipment or serv-
ices produced or provided by Huawei Tech-
nologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any 
subsidiary or affiliate of such entities). 
(B) Telecommunication equipment or serv-
ices produced or provided by an entity that the
Secretary of State, in consultation with the Di-
rector of National Intelligence, reasonably be-
lieves to be an entity owned or controlled by, or 
otherwise connected to, the People’s Republic of 
China or the Russian Federation. 
(3) EARLY-STAGE
PROJECT
SUPPORT.—The 
term ‘‘early-stage project support’’ includes— 
(A) feasibility studies; 
(B) resource evaluations; 
(C) project appraisal and costing; 
(D) pilot projects; 
(E) commercial support, such as trade 
missions, reverse trade missions, technical 
workshops, international buyer programs, and 
international partner searchers to link suppliers 
to projects; 
(F) technical assistance and other guid-
ance to improve the local regulatory environ-
ment and market frameworks to encourage 
transparent competition and enhance tele-
communication security; and 
(G) long-term telecommunication sector 
planning. 
(4) LATE-STAGE PROJECT SUPPORT.—The term 
‘‘late-stage project support’’ includes debt financing,
equity financing, insurance, and transaction advisory 
services. 
(5) SECURE TELECOMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT 
OR SERVICES.—The term ‘‘secure telecommunication 
equipment or services’’ means telecommunication 
equipment or services that are not, and do not con-
tain, covered telecommunication equipment or serv-
ices. 
Passed the House of Representatives April 27, 2022. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3344 
AN ACT 
To prioritize the efforts of and enhance coordina-
tion among United States agencies to encourage 
countries in Central and Eastern Europe to im-
prove the security of their telecommunications 
networks, and for other purposes.