Russia's war in Ukraine has renewed concerns that aggressors could take out critical high-speed infrastructure on the ground in friendly countries, making it both harder for allies to communicate and more difficult for the U.S. to collect open-source intelligence, Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said when introducing the bill Tuesday.
Unlike other types of network infrastructure, satellite signals do not need operational equipment to be connected to the larger national telecommunications infrastructure, which other countries can target during armed conflict, the lawmakers noted.
"Winning the war of public perception is a crucial part of armed conflict today, and as we've seen in Ukraine, the internet is the best way to gain support for your country's cause globally," Cornyn said in a statement. "This legislation would ensure our allies can stay connected via American satellite providers, blunting cyberattack threats from countries like Russia."
Klobuchar added that unreliable telecom access is "often used by aggressors like Russia to prevent people living in conflict zones from communicating with the outside world."
"This timely, bipartisan legislation will enable the U.S. government to collaborate with the private sector to help people living in conflict zones remain connected and protected against cyber aggression," she said.
The bill, referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would authorize the Pentagon to provide satellite service for military aid purposes and the State Department to provide it for humanitarian aid. It would allow both departments to procure the endpoint infrastructure needed for service, such as satellite phones and receiver dishes.
The measure would also allow the agencies to enter into agreements with other nations to offset costs of the service, including reimbursements after the fact. However, it would prohibit an agency from "compelling a service provider to provide the service and from providing the service longer than needed to address the conflict," a bill summary says.
Agencies must "consider the costs and benefits of providing the service and choose the services that provide the maximum benefit," the summary says, also noting that they may not enter into contracts with entities on the Commerce Entity List, which the government maintains as a way to prevent U.S. funds from going to adversaries.
Representatives for the Departments of Defense and State did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
--Editing by Stephen Berg.
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