Title: Utilizing Strategic Allied Telecommunications Act of 2020
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Utilizing Strategic Allied Telecommunications Act of 2020 or the USA Telecommunications Act
This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Commerce shall award grants to support the deployment and use of Open RAN 5G Networks throughout the United States.
Open RAN 5G Networks are networks that follow a set of open standards (such as O-RAN standards or the Open Radio Access Network approach to standardization) and open interfaces for multi-vendor network equipment interoperability.
Grants awarded under the program shall, among other things, (1) promote technology that will enhance competitiveness in the supply chains of Open RAN 5G Networks, (2) accelerate the deployment of Open Network Equipment, and (3) promote the inclusion of security features that enhance the integrity and availability of such equipment.
Commerce must also (1) establish the criteria for a grant award, (2) establish a committee that advises on technology developments to inform both the grant program and government efforts to support Open RAN 5G Network supply chains, and (3) report on the grant program and 5G network supply chains.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6624 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6624

 To support supply chain innovation and multilateral security, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 24, 2020

  Mr. Pallone (for himself, Mr. Guthrie, Ms. Matsui, and Mr. Walden) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To support supply chain innovation and multilateral security, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Utilizing Strategic Allied 
Telecommunications Act of 2020'' or the ``USA Telecommunications Act''.

SEC. 2. WIRELESS SUPPLY CHAIN INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--From amounts made available under subsection (d), 
the Assistant Secretary shall, beginning not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, make grants on a competitive 
basis to support the deployment and use of Open RAN 5G Networks 
throughout the United States by--
            (1) promoting the use of technology, including software, 
        hardware, and microprocessing technology, that will enhance 
        competitiveness in the supply chains of Open RAN 5G Networks;
            (2) accelerating the deployment of Open Network Equipment;
            (3) promoting the use of Open Network Equipment;
            (4) establishing objective criteria that can be used to 
        determine if equipment meets the definition of Open Network 
        Equipment;
            (5) promoting the inclusion of security features that 
        enhance the integrity and availability of Open Network 
        Equipment; or
            (6) promoting the application of network function 
        virtualization to facilitate the deployment of Open RAN 5G 
        Networks and a more diverse vendor market.
    (b) Grant Criteria.--The Assistant Secretary, in consultation with 
the Commission, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the 
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (commonly known as 
``DARPA''), and the Director of the Intelligence Advanced Research 
Projects Activity of the Office of the Director of National 
Intelligence (commonly known as ``IARPA''), shall establish the 
criteria under which the Assistant Secretary shall award a grant under 
subsection (a).
    (c) Reports to Congress.--
            (1) Annual report on grants made.--For each fiscal year for 
        which amounts are available to make grants under subsection 
        (a), the Assistant Secretary shall submit to the relevant 
        committees of Congress a report that includes, with respect to 
        that fiscal year--
                    (A) a description of--
                            (i) to whom grants under subsection (a) 
                        were made, the amount thereof, and criteria 
                        used to award such grants; and
                            (ii) the progress the Assistant Secretary 
                        has made in meeting the objectives described in 
                        subsection (a) of the grant program under this 
                        section; and
                    (B) any additional information that the Assistant 
                Secretary determines appropriate.
            (2) Report on 5g network supply chain.--Not later than 180 
        days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant 
        Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a 
        written report--
                    (A) that includes recommendations on promoting the 
                competitiveness and sustainability of trusted Open RAN 
                5G Networks; and
                    (B) identifying whether any additional authorities 
                are needed by the Assistant Secretary to facilitate the 
                timely adoption of Open Network Equipment, including 
                the authority to provide loans, loan guarantees, and 
                other forms of credit extension that would maximize the 
                use of grant amounts awarded under this section.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) Amount authorized.--There is authorized to be 
        appropriated to make grants under subsection (a) $750,000,000 
        for fiscal years 2021 through 2031.
            (2) Availability.--Amounts made available under paragraph 
        (1) shall remain available through fiscal year 2031.

SEC. 3. ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Assistant Secretary shall establish an 
Advisory Committee to advise the Assistant Secretary in the manner 
described in subsection (c).
    (b) Composition.--The Advisory Committee established under 
subsection (a) shall be composed of--
            (1) representatives from--
                    (A) the Commission;
                    (B) the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 
                (commonly known as ``DARPA'');
                    (C) the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects 
                Activity of the Office of the Director of National 
                Intelligence (commonly known as ``IARPA'');
                    (D) the National Institute of Standards and 
                Technology;
                    (E) the Department of State;
                    (F) the National Science Foundation; and
                    (G) the Department of Homeland Security; and
            (2) other representatives from the private and public 
        sectors, at the discretion of the Assistant Secretary.
    (c) Duties.--The Advisory Committee established under subsection 
(a) shall be used to advise the Assistant Secretary on technology 
developments to help inform--
            (1) the strategic direction of the grant program 
        established under section 2; and
            (2) efforts of the Federal Government to promote a more 
        secure, diverse, sustainable, and competitive supply chain for 
        Open RAN 5G Networks.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) 3gpp.--The term ``3GPP'' means the Third Generation 
        Partnership Project.
            (2) 5g network.--The term ``5G network'' means a radio 
        network as described by 3GPP Release 15 or higher, or any 
        successor network.
            (3) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
        means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications 
        and Information.
            (4) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission.
            (5) Open network equipment.--The term ``Open Network 
        Equipment'' means equipment that follows a set of open 
        standards (such as O-RAN standards or the Open Radio Access 
        Network approach to standardization, adopted by the O-RAN 
        Alliance, 3GPP, or other organization) and open interfaces for 
        multi-vendor network equipment interoperability, such that the 
        equipment may be integrated into the Radio Access Networks of 
        an Open RAN 5G Network.
            (6) Open ran 5g network.--The term ``Open RAN 5G Network'' 
        means a 5G network that follows a set of open standards (such 
        as O-RAN standards or the Open Radio Access Network approach to 
        standardization, adopted by the O-RAN Alliance, 3GPP, or other 
        organizations) and open interfaces for multi-vendor network 
        equipment interoperability.
            (7) Relevant committees of congress.--The term ``relevant 
        committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives;
                    (B) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
                of the House of Representatives;
                    (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                of Representatives;
                    (D) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 
                of Representatives;
                    (E) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
                Representatives;
                    (F) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate;
                    (G) the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
                Senate;
                    (H) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                Senate;
                    (I) the Committee on Homeland Security and 
                Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and
                    (J) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.
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