The House Passes Three Bipartisan Cybersecurity Bills
On December 2, 2021, the House of Representatives passed three bipartisan cybersecurity bills intended to improve network security and cyber literacy in the United States: the Understanding Cybersecurity of Mobile Networks Act (H.R. 2685); Future Uses of Technology Upholding Reliable and Enhanced (FUTURE) Networks Act (H.R. 4045); and the American Cybersecurity Literacy Act (H.R.4055).
H.R. 2685. is sponsored by Representatives Anna Eshoo, a Democratic House member from California, and Adam Kinzinger, a Republican House member from Illinois, and was approved by a vote of 404 to 19. If implemented, H.R. 2685 would require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to examine and file a report on the “cybersecurity of mobile service networks and the vulnerability of these networks and mobile devices to cyberattacks and surveillance conducted by adversaries.”
The report to be filed must include the following:
an assessment of the degree to which providers of mobile service have addressed certain cybersecurity vulnerabilities;
a discussion of the degree to which these providers have implemented cybersecurity best practices and risk assessment frameworks; and
an estimate of the prevalence and efficacy of encryption and authentication algorithms and techniques used in mobile service and communications equipment, mobile devices, and mobile operating systems and software.
H.R. 4055 is primarily sponsored by Kinzinger but is still categorized as bipartisan and was approved by a vote of 408 to 17. If implemented, this bill would require the NTIA to “develop and conduct a cybersecurity literacy campaign to increase knowledge and awareness of best practices to reduce cybersecurity risks.”
H.R. 4045 is sponsored by Mike Doyle, a democratic representative from Pennsylvania and the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, Bill Johnson, a Republican House member from Ohio, and Lucy McBath, a Democratic House member from Georgia. The bill was approved by a vote of 394 to 27. If implemented, 4045 would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a sixth-generation wireless technology task force (“6G Task Force”) to assess the risks and benefits associated with any future use of 6G technology.
Each of these bills was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee (Committee) several months prior to the floor vote in the House. Additionally, several Committee Chairmen applauded the passage of these “three critical bipartisan bills that aim to strengthen our telecommunications networks for a safer, more secure wireless future[.]” As such, organizations would be well-advised to review these bills and consider the implications they could have on their cyber-practices.
If you have any questions or concerns about these legislative changes, please contact Kennedy Sutherland.