U.S. Moves to Dominate 5G Standards, With Security-Focused 'Trusted' List: New Bill Aims for Global Wireless Leadership

The "Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act of 2025" is all about making sure the U.S. calls the shots in how 5G and future wireless tech develops globally. Basically, it puts the Assistant Secretary of Commerce (specifically, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information) in charge of getting American companies and experts a bigger seat at the table where these standards are decided.

Shaping the Future of 5G

The bill focuses on boosting U.S. influence in key groups like the International Organization for Standardization and 3GPP (the folks who basically wrote the playbook for 5G). The government will offer technical help to "trusted" U.S. players to participate effectively. The Assistant Secretary has to brief Congress on their plan within 60 days of the Act's passage, so we'll get some insight into the strategy pretty quickly.

The "Not Trusted" List

Here's where it gets interesting: the bill specifically excludes "not trusted" entities – companies or people the Assistant Secretary deems a national security risk. This is based on calls made by other government bodies or existing rules like Executive Order 13873, or if they are on the list of banned telecommunications equipment/services from the 2019 NDAA, Section 889(f)(3). Think of it as a blacklist for wireless standards-setting. For example, if a foreign telecom giant is flagged for potential espionage by an interagency group, they're out. A smaller U.S. startup, however, would likely be encouraged to participate. This could impact everything from your phone's connection speed to how data centers operate.

What Counts as "Communications Network"?

The bill defines "communications network" pretty broadly, covering not just the wires and towers, but also cloud computing resources (like those used by businesses for data storage and processing) and the networks connecting to them. This means the law's impact could ripple beyond traditional telecom, touching any company involved in data transmission or cloud services. A small business using cloud-based software, for example, could see changes in service or security protocols based on standards influenced by this bill.

Real-World Rollout & Challenges

While boosting U.S. influence sounds good, the "not trusted" clause is where things could get tricky. The definition relies on existing executive orders and interagency decisions, which could open the door to politically motivated exclusions. Plus, the broad scope of "communications network" means a lot of different tech and services could be affected in ways we might not fully see right away. The goal is clear: get American voices heard loud and clear in the global wireless conversation. But the devil, as always, is in the details – and how those "trusted" and "not trusted" labels get applied in practice will be key.