New Act Mandates Global Strategy to Promote US Tech, Counter Chinese Influence in Telecom Networks

The Securing Global Telecommunications Act is essentially a massive, government-backed strategy to ensure that the global internet and phone networks of the future are built using American and allied technology, not equipment from countries like China and Russia. It’s a foreign policy bill wrapped in a tech security blanket, and it’s meant to hit the reset button on who controls the world’s digital infrastructure. The key move here is requiring the Secretary of State to develop a detailed, multi-agency strategy within 90 days (SEC. 3) to push secure communication systems—like Open RAN and trusted data centers—in developing countries, often through financing and diplomatic pressure.

The Great Global Tech Race

Congress is pretty clear in its assessment (SEC. 2): Companies tied to the Chinese Communist Party, like Huawei, are dominating global mobile networks, which the U.S. sees as a huge national security risk—a potential backdoor for data theft or network shutdowns. This bill is the U.S. government’s plan to fight back, not just at home, but on the global stage. For you, the busy person, this isn't about your phone bill today, but it’s about who sets the rules for the tech you'll be using five years from now, and whether your data, even when traveling overseas, is secure. It’s about ensuring that the next generation of tech—6G networks (SEC. 3)—is led by U.S. and allied companies, not adversaries.

Open RAN and the Price of Security

The strategy specifically pushes for "trusted Open RAN technologies" (SEC. 3). Open RAN is a fancy term for making telecom equipment modular and interchangeable, allowing carriers to mix and match components from different vendors instead of being locked into one giant provider (like Huawei). The bill requires the U.S. to use financing tools to help countries rip out old, untrusted equipment and replace it with these newer, more secure options. This is a massive effort, and it means the U.S. government is effectively becoming a global venture capitalist and diplomat for American and allied telecom vendors. If you work in tech or manufacturing, this creates a significant new market supported by federal muscle.

Who Sets the Rules? The ITU Showdown

Beyond building networks, the bill tackles the rule-makers. It requires the State Department to report on how Russia and China are trying to manipulate the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)—the global body that sets technical standards for everything from radio waves to internet protocols (SEC. 4). The concern is that these countries are using their market power, especially through companies like Huawei, to force developing nations to vote their way, pushing for standards that favor authoritarian control over open internet governance. This matters because if the global standards are set to favor surveillance and state control, it eventually trickles down and affects how open and free the internet is everywhere, including here.

The Multilateral Money Pool

Finally, the Act recognizes that the U.S. can’t foot this bill or fight this battle alone. It mandates a report on how the U.S. can better coordinate with allies—pooling money through joint financing and aligning diplomatic pressure—to ensure that when countries build new infrastructure, they choose the secure path (SEC. 5). This means agencies like the Export-Import Bank and the Development Finance Corporation will be working directly with their counterparts in Japan, Europe, and elsewhere to offer attractive financial packages that undercut offers from untrusted vendors. For the average taxpayer, this is the mechanism by which U.S. foreign aid and development funds will be explicitly tied to promoting secure U.S.-aligned technology.