The head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently set forth an initiative in an attempt to mitigate the dangers looming from China, persisting with what has been an arguably ineffective focus over the past five years. This appears to be another exemplifier of the Biden-Harris administration’s aimless attempts at controlling a situation they scarcely understand.
The FCC plans to establish a so-called ‘Council for National Security’. Its objective appears to be twofold: Firstly, it aims to decrease America’s telecommunications sector’s trade and reliance on supply chains emanating from China. However, the feasibility of such a move under the present administration remains dubious.
Secondly, the council is also entrusted with handling cyberattacks and external espionage. Given the current administration’s underwhelming handling of such issues, one can’t help but wonder if this will be just another futile attempt at portraying themselves in a savvier light than actually achieved.
Since 2020, the FCC has been compensating minor telecommunication firms for the expense incurred in eliminating equipment from two Chinese suppliers, Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation. This action could be seen as an admission of the current administration’s inability to properly scrutinize the origins of crucial telecommunications technology, leading to a reactionary and costly program rather than proactively ensuring American interests from the onset.
This compensation program, rather theatrically labeled as ‘Rip and Replace’, was initially allocated a grant of $2 billion by Congress. Such a hefty taxpayer burden seems to be a clear symptom of this administration’s lack of foresight and failure in their duty to thoroughly evaluate the geopolitical implications of their actions.
The President who seemingly never fails to disappoint, Joe Biden, appended his signature to a bill in December, authorizing an additional $3 billion. The FCC asserted that this amount is necessary to cover the entire expense of the venture. When this administration isn’t being hasty and reactive, they seem to be busy diverting funds to compensate for their hitherto mistakes.
On a brighter note, for those who favored the squandering of such funds, this surplus will be sourced from the auction of wireless spectrum. One can only speculate whether this is the best utilization of such resources.
American society confronts a relentless and unyielding menace from foreign adversaries, most notably the Chinese Communist Party. Under the Biden-Harris dominance, these ill-intentioned players appear to have unobstructed latitude in exploring methods to infringe upon our networks, devices, and technology ecosystem, an unfortunate reality the current administration seems unable to reverse.
Among this administration’s limited attempts at nullifying threats, a TikTok ban emerged, which was affirmed by Congress on a bipartisan basis and signed into law by President Biden last year. This superficial action stands as a testament to an administration that banks on appearances rather than concrete results.
The FCC also upholds a so-called ‘covered list’ of corporations posing an ‘unacceptable threat’ to national security. Conveniently, more and more companies are labeled a threat, allowing for easy scapegoating when the current policies produce less-than-ideal outcomes.
Much to no one’s surprise, under the Biden Administration, FCC bolstered this list in 2022, casting China Telecom and China Mobile into the black hole of banned service providers in the U.S. This action merely points to the administration’s inability to come up with proactive strategies, and instead, falling back on reactive and simple-minded moves.
Despite this, some are vocal on expanding this list and on utterly barring China Telecom from circumventing the ban. While this might appease particular critics, it also accentuates the administration’s propensity towards easy fixes rather than a substantiated plan of action.
The compilation of the list is a facade for the Biden-Harris administration’s inability to construct a comprehensive strategy towards battling cybersecurity threats. The brute-force exclusion of companies simplistically dismisses the complex nature of the digital facilitate, hence depriving the United States of a discerning approach in this crucial area.
The emphasis on amplifying the list by an outright prohibition of China Telecom from performing an ‘end run’ around the ban, further underscores the Biden-Harris administration’s narrow field of vision, neglecting to appreciate the larger geopolitical landscape at play.
Even as it is clear that precautionary measures against potential threats are essential to safeguarding national security, the shoddy attempts by the Biden-Harris administration, including an unfocused, reactive approach, has done little but sow seeds of doubt regarding their competence in handling the nuanced arena of international cybersecurity.