“Two organizations central to this effort for 5G are the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU).58 3GPP is a collaboration of seven telecommunication SDOs from Japan, China, Europe, India, Korea, and the United States.”

“The Trump Administration has focused on 5G planning. On September 28, 2018, the White House held a “5G Summit” with industry and government officials to discuss policies that would help ensure faster deployment of 5G technologies.92”

“5G small cell installation have sparked debate over the balance between streamlining siting regulations to facilitate 5G deployment nationwide and maintaining local authorities to review placement of cell sites in communities. U.S. industry executives claim that current regulations and local approvals required for placement of telecommunications equipment adds time and cost to deployment, which puts U.S. carriers at a disadvantage in 5G deployment.111 Local governments and residents have cited concerns about management of rights-of-way, fees charged to providers for access, and the impact of small cells on property values and health and safety. 112”

“(2) concern over the potential vulnerability of 5G networks to targeting by foreign intelligence services.128”

“FBI Director Christopher Wray has also highlighted the potential threat associated with any increase in the integration of Chinese-made or designed devices and 5G cellular network equipment into the United States telecommunications network, stating that:

We’re deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that don’t share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks. That provides the capacity to exert pressure or control over our telecommunications infrastructure. It provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information. And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage.132″

“Security Concerns with Specific Chinese Firms

During the 112th Congress, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) conducted an investigation into the U.S. national security issues posed by Huawei and ZTE, with the committee’s report on the results of the investigation highlighting “the potential security threat posed by Chinese telecommunications companies with potential ties to the Chinese government or military.”134 It found, “in particular, to the extent these companies are influenced by the state, or provide Chinese intelligence services access to telecommunication networks, the opportunity exists for further economic and foreign espionage by a foreign nation-state already known to be a major perpetrator of cyber espionage” and other forms of state-sponsored and corporate espionage.135 The HPSCI report concludes with a number of recommendations. Among them: (1) The intelligence community should remain focused on the threat of penetration of the U.S. telecommunications market by Chinese companies; and (2) the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) should block acquisitions, takeovers, and mergers that involve Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE.136″

“That manipulation is likely to take various forms, including efforts to deceive and confuse people in various ways about what is happening and what the truth is … overloading people’s senses with useless or irrelevant information so that we cannot accurately discern what adversaries are doing or what is important; and putting misinformation before us to erroneously confirm pre-existing biases and cause us to misperceive reality and to choose the wrong courses of action. They will also try to stoke long-standing animosities and fears so that Americans fight with each other and look foolish to the world we are supposed to be leading.140”

“Congress may consider policies implementing security measurements (i.e., best practices) in devices, systems, and networks to ensure security of data.”