Sponsors (2)
Bars FCC and NTIA from providing federal funds for purchases of solid‑core or hollow‑core fiber from suppliers tied to a "country of concern."
The bill prioritizes national security and domestic supply chains by barring suppliers tied to adversary states from federally funded broadband projects, at the cost of higher project costs, potential deployment delays, and added compliance burdens for grant recipients.
State and local governments and broadband providers receiving federal funds are less likely to install fiber from firms tied to adversary states, reducing exposure to supply‑chain compromise and risks to network integrity.
Taxpayers are less likely to fund network equipment sourced from foreign entities of concern, aligning federal grant dollars with national security priorities and reducing indirect fiscal support to risky suppliers.
Small businesses and utilities/energy companies are encouraged to use trusted domestic or allied suppliers, which can support U.S. fiber manufacturers and preserve or create related jobs.
State and local governments, utilities, and the customers they serve may face higher project costs and slower broadband deployment if trusted domestic suppliers are limited, raising prices for consumers and delaying service improvements.
State and local governments and utilities that already contracted with now-prohibited suppliers risk losing federal grant funding or having to switch suppliers quickly, creating sunk costs and project disruption starting 90 days after enactment.
Small businesses and agencies with complex ownership structures may face compliance uncertainty and added administrative and legal burdens to demonstrate they are not owned or controlled by a 'country of concern.'
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To prohibit certain Federal funds from being provided to individuals and entities that purchase fiber-optic cable from countries of concern, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 30, 2026 by Gus Bilirakis · Last progress June 30, 2026
Prohibits the FCC and NTIA from using any federal funds to support purchases of fiber‑optic cable (solid‑core or hollow‑core) from companies that are owned or controlled by a defined “country of concern” or its agents; the prohibition applies to purchases made 90 days after enactment. The bill defines the covered equipment and ties the country definition to an existing statute (10 U.S.C. §4872(f)). The effect is to bar federal funding for procurement of certain fiber‑optic cable when the seller has ownership or significant control links to countries designated as concerning under U.S. law, aiming to limit federal investment in communications infrastructure sourced from those entities.