Commerce Department Gets One Year to Map and Secure U.S. Tech Supply Chain, Focusing on 'Trusted' Vendors

This section of the Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act is essentially a massive homework assignment for the Department of Commerce. The goal? To secure the technology backbone of the U.S. economy by figuring out who makes what, and whether those suppliers are trustworthy. The Secretary of Commerce has one year to file a detailed report that maps out every piece of information and communication technology (ICT) critical to the nation, identifies the domestic and allied vendors making it (the “trusted” ones), and assesses how much the U.S. relies on sources deemed “not trusted.”

The Great Tech Supply Chain Audit

Think of this as the government finally getting serious about knowing where its microchips, fiber optics, and communication gear are actually coming from. The bill defines ICT broadly—anything that allows communication using radio waves or wires. Within 12 months, the Commerce Secretary must deliver a comprehensive assessment of the economic competitiveness of the trusted ICT vendors, including U.S. companies. Crucially, the report must highlight where advanced telecom providers might be leaning too heavily on technology from sources the Secretary deems a national security risk. This isn't just an inventory; it's a competitive analysis designed to pinpoint vulnerabilities.

The Strategy: Boosting the Home Team

Once the audit is complete, the Secretary has another 180 days to turn that data into a full-blown, government-wide strategy. This plan is designed to boost the economic strength of those trusted vendors. For the average person, this means the government is actively looking to support companies that build things here or in allied nations, potentially leading to more domestic jobs and less reliance on foreign suppliers. The strategy must include recommendations on how the government can change its own structure—or even existing laws—to help these companies succeed. It also suggests ways to “solve market problems” that might be holding trusted vendors back, which is a broad mandate that could involve anything from focused grants to favorable regulatory changes.

Who’s In and Who’s Out

The most important part of this section is how it defines trusted versus not trusted. A vendor is trusted unless the Secretary has specifically determined they are not trusted. That determination isn't arbitrary; it must be based on existing national security findings outlined in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019. For everyday consumers, this system is designed to reassure them that the infrastructure they rely on—from cell service to internet access—is being built using components vetted for security. For any tech company that falls into the “not trusted” category, this bill solidifies a path for them to be excluded from government focus and support, potentially limiting their market access within the U.S. and among U.S. partners. The bottom line is that the government is formalizing a system to pick winners and losers in the critical tech space based on national security criteria.