,,ii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bhgf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bh1 #bjba,mrs4 ,shaheen 7for herself and ,mr4 ,portman7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to prioritize the efforts of1 and to enhance coordination among1 ,united ,states agencies to encourage countries in ,central and ,eastern ,europe to improve the security of their telecommunications networks1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,transatlantic ,telecommunications ,security ,act4 #b4 ,sense of ,congress2 statement of policy 7a7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 fifth generation 7#e;,g7 telecommunications networks in allied and partner countries based on common1 secure1 transparent1 democratic standards have the potential to increase cultural1 political1 and economic exchanges leading to mutual job creation1 closer citizen relations1 and stronger democratic institutions2 7#b7 the ,united ,states has national security and economic interests in assisting ,central and ,eastern ,european countries to improve the security of their telecommunications networks by-- 7,a7 reducing their dependence on covered telecommunications equipment or services that are often offered with predatory economic inducements2 and 7,b7 replacing such equipment or services with secure telecommunications equipment or services2 7#c7 the ,people's ,republic of ,china's ,belt and ,road ,initiative and the #aga ,initiative seek to undermine ,central and ,eastern ,europe's infrastructure resilience and sovereignty through predatory inducements from state-linked providers of telecommunications equipment or services1 such as ,huawei ,technologies ,company and ,,zte ,corporation2 7#d7 the ,united ,states must assemble a coalition of democratic and like-minded allies and partners-- 7,a7 to counter the rise of global malign actors1 such as the ,people's ,republic of ,china and the ,russian ,federation2 and 7,b7 to build resilience in ,central and ,eastern ,europe against malign influences2 and 7#e7 in order to ensure robust military coordination and interoperability with the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7referred to in this ,act as ,,nato7 and transatlantic allies and partners1 the ,united ,states should ensure that allies' and partners' telecommunications networks are secure and free from potential threats in accordance with ,,nato's ,december #bjai ,london ,declaration4 7b7 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 to strengthen the transatlantic alliance based on shared values in the face of rising malign influence from the ,russian ,federation and the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 which seek to undermine democratic institutions and values2 7#b7 to encourage public and private sector investment in ,european telecommunications infrastructure projects-- 7,a7 to ensure secure telecommunications2 and 7,b7 to catalyze economic advancement through the highest standards of transparency1 accessibility1 and competition2 7#c7 to provide economically feasible alternatives to financing from providers of covered telecommunications equipment or services2 7#d7 to engage in diplomacy with ,european allies and partners to strengthen ,united ,states and ,european private sector efforts-- 7,a7 to develop common telecommunications technology and industry standards2 and 7,b7 to promote them globally2 7#e7 to support the ,three ,seas ,initiative organized by #ab ,central and ,eastern ,european countries of the ,european ,union to increase infrastructure resiliency and reduce reliance on malign actors1 including in the telecommunications space2 and 7#f7 to support the people of ,ukraine1 ,moldova1 and the ,western ,balkan countries in their desire for integration into euro-,atlantic institutions and economies through enhanced cross-border telecommunications infrastructure connectivity4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,central or ,eastern ,european country ,the term ,central or ,eastern ,european country includes-- 7,a7 ,albania2 7,b7 ,austria 7,c7 ,bosnia and ,herzegovina2 7,d7 ,bulgaria2 7,e7 ,croatia2 7,f7 ,cyprus2 7,g7 ,czechia2 7,h7 ,estonia2 7,i7 ,greece2 7,j7 ,hungary2 7,k7 ,kosovo2 7,l7 ,latvia2 7,m7 ,lithuania2 7,n7 ,moldova2 7,o7 ,montenegro2 7,p7 ,north ,macedonia2 7,q7 ,poland2 7,r7 ,romania2 7,s7 ,serbia2 7,t7 ,slovakia2 7,u7 ,slovenia2 and 7,v7 ,ukraine4 7#b7 ,covered foreign country ,the term covered foreign country means the ,people's ,republic of ,china4 7#c7 ,covered telecommunications equipment or services ,the term covered telecommunications equipment or services means-- 7,a7 telecommunications equipment or services produced or provided by ,huawei ,technologies ,company or ,,zte ,corporation 7or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities72 and 7,b7 telecommunications equipment or services produced or provided by an entity that the ,secretary of ,state1 in consultation with the ,director of ,national ,intelligence1 reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by1 or otherwise connected to1 the government of a covered foreign country4 7#d7 ,early-stage project support ,the term early-stage project support includes-- 7,a7 feasibility studies2 7,b7 resource evaluations2 7,c7 project appraisal and costing2 7,d7 pilot projects2 7,e7 commercial support1 such as trade missions1 reverse trade missions1 technical workshops1 international buyer programs1 and international partner searchers to link suppliers to projects2 7,f7 technical assistance and other guidance to improve the local regulatory environment and market frameworks to encourage transparent competition and enhance telecommunications security2 and 7,g7 long-term telecommunications sector planning4 7#e7 ,late-stage project support ,the term late-stage project support includes debt financing1 equity financing1 insurance1 and transaction advisory services4 7#f7 ,malign influence ,the term malign influence has the meaning given the term foreign malign influence in section #aai;,c7e77#b7 of the ,national ,security ,act of #aidg 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #cjei7;e77#b774 7#g7 ,secure telecommunications equipment or services ,the term secure telecommunications equipment or services means telecommunications equipment or services that are not1 and do not contain1 covered telecommunications equipment or services4 #d4 ,prioritization of efforts and assistance for telecommunications infrastructure projects in ,central and ,eastern ,europe 7a7 ,in general ,in pursuing the policy described in section #b7;b71 the ,secretary of ,state1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,commerce1 the ,chief ,executive ,officer of the ,united ,states ,international ,development ,finance ,corporation1 the ,director of the ,united ,states ,trade and ,development ,agency1 the ,federal ,communications ,commission1 and heads of other relevant ,united ,states agencies1 shall1 as appropriate1 prioritize and expedite the efforts of the ,department of ,state and the aforementioned agencies in supporting the efforts of the ,european ,commission and the governments of ,central and ,eastern ,european countries to improve the security of their telecommunications networks1 including through providing diplomatic and political support to the ,european ,commission and ,central and ,eastern ,europe countries1 as necessary-- 7#a7 to support the enhancement of ,european telecommunications markets1 including through early-stage project support and late-stage project support for the construction or improvement of telecommunications and related infrastructure2 7#b7 to remove covered telecommunications equipment or services and replace such equipment or services with secure telecommunications equipment or services2 7#c7 to support the development of telecommunications networks that are inclusive1 transparent1 economically viable1 financially1 environmentally1 and socially sustainable1 compliant with international standards1 laws1 and regulations1 and supplied by providers of secure telecommunications equipment or services2 and 7#d7 to facilitate international coordination on cross-border telecommunications infrastructure construction and security standards to ensure cross-border telecommunications are secure4 7b7 ,project selection 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state1 the ,chief ,executive ,officer of the ,united ,states ,international ,development ,finance ,corporation1 and the ,director of the ,united ,states ,trade and ,development ,agency should identify telecommunications infrastructure projects that would-- 7,a7 advance ,united ,states national security2 and 7,b7 be appropriate for ,united ,states assistance under this section4 7#b7 ,project eligibility ,a project is eligible for ,united ,states assistance under this section if the project-- 7,a7 7i7 improves1 modernizes1 or expands telecommunications networks with secure telecommunications equipment or services through-- 7,i7 an investment in hard infrastructure1 such as telecommunications lines or equipment2 or 7,,ii7 an investment in soft infrastructure1 such as innovative software development or cloud services2 7ii7 removes covered telecommunications equipment or services and replaces such equipment or services with secure telecommunications equipment or services2 or 7iii7 enhances telecommunications market integration across the ,central or ,eastern ,european region that is secure from exploitation by malign actors2 and 7,b7 is located in a ,central ,european or ,eastern ,european country4 7#c7 ,preference ,in selecting among eligible projects1 the agencies described in subsection 7a7 should give preference to projects that-- 7,a7 can attract funding from the private sector1 an international financial institution1 the government of the country in which the project will be carried out1 or the ,european ,commission2 7,b7 have been designated as available for funding through the ,three ,seas ,initiative ,investment ,fund2 7,c7 are to be carried out in #a or more of the ,three ,seas ,initiative member nations2 7,d7 are to be carried out in ,,nato member nations that-- 7i7 meet or are making progress toward meeting their commitments to upholding the rule of law and preserving democratic institutions in accordance with the preamble and ,article #b of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty1 done at ,washington ,april #d1 #aidi2 or 7ii7 meet or are making demonstrable progress toward meeting their defense spending commitments in accordance with the ,,nato ,wales ,summit ,declaration issued on ,september #e1 #bjad2 or 7,e7 have the potential to advance ,united ,states economic interests4 7c7 ,types of assistance 7#a7 ,diplomatic and political support ,the ,secretary of ,state shall provide diplomatic and political support to the ,european ,commission and to ,central and ,eastern ,european countries1 as necessary1 including by using the diplomatic and political influence and expertise of the ,department of ,state to build the capacity of ,central and ,eastern ,european countries to resolve any impediments to the development of projects selected pursuant to subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,international financial institutions support ,the ,secretary of ,state shall encourage international financial institutions1 including the ,european ,bank for ,reconstruction and ,development1 the ,european ,investment ,bank1 and the ,international ,monetary ,fund1 the ,foreign1 ,commonwealth1 and ,development ,office of the ,government of the ,united ,kingdom1 the ,agency for ,international ,cooperation of the ,government of ,germany1 and the ,development ,agency of the ,government of ,france to invest in telecommunications infrastructure resilience in ,central and ,eastern ,europe4 7#c7 ,early-stage project support ,the ,director of the ,united ,states ,trade and ,development ,agency shall provide early-stage project support with respect to projects selected pursuant to subsection 7b71 as necessary1 including project support in middle- and upper-income countries4 7#d7 ,late-stage project support ,agencies described in subsection 7a7 that provide late-stage project support shall provide such support with respect to projects selected pursuant to subsection 7b71 as necessary4 7#e7 ,united states international development finance corporation support ,notwithstanding the restriction under section #adab7;c77#b7 of the ,,build ,act of #bjah 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #ifab7;c77#b771 the ,united ,states ,international ,development ,finance ,corporation is authorized to provide support for projects under this section in ,central and ,eastern ,european countries that are countries with upper-middle-income economies or high-income economies 7as such terms are defined by the ,international ,bank for ,reconstruction and ,development and the ,international ,development ,association 7collectively referred to as the ,world ,bank774 #e4 ,progress reports 7a7 ,appropriate congressional committees defined ,in this section1 the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 7#b7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 7#c7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#d7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 7b7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,president shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that describes the progress made in providing assistance for projects selected pursuant to section #d7;b71 including-- 7#a7 a description of the telecommunications infrastructure projects the ,united ,states has assisted2 and 7#b7 for each such project-- 7,a7 a description of the role of the ,united ,states in the project1 including in early-stage project support and late-stage project support2 7,b7 the amount and form of debt financing1 equity financing1 and insurance provided for the project by-- 7i7 the ,united ,states ,government2 7ii7 the ,three ,seas ,initiative ,investment ,fund2 7iii7 international financial institutions1 including the ,european ,bank for ,reconstruction and ,development1 the ,european ,investment ,bank1 and the ,international ,monetary ,fund2 7iv7 the ,foreign1 ,commonwealth1 and ,development ,office of the ,government of the ,united ,kingdom2 7v7 the ,agency for ,international ,cooperation of the ,government of ,germany2 or 7vi7 the ,development ,agency of the ,government of ,france2 7,c7 the public summary disclosure of the project that preclude the use of covered telecommunications equipment or services2 and 7,d7 an update on the progress made on the project as of the date of the report4