Bipartisan Bill Introduced Requiring Security Study of Chinese Modems, Routers
A bipartisan bill was introduced this week in the Senate that asks the Commerce Department to study the national security risks posed by routers and modems designed, manufactured or sold by Chinese companies. Similar to the connected vehicles rule, a determination that these products imperil national security could result in a ban on their import, even if the products were built in Vietnam, Malaysia or other countries.
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Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., called their bill Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security, or Routers, Act.
“Tens of millions of families and small businesses across the country use wireless routers as their primary access point to the internet,” Blackburn said in a news release announcing the bill. “Many of these routers are susceptible to infiltration by foreign actors -- including China -- exposing our country to serious danger. This bill will better protect U.S. communications networks and our national security.”
Luján said safeguards are needed for consumer routers and modems to prevent national security risks and consumer privacy violations.
The report would be due in one year.