FCC must publish list of foreign-owned U.S. telecom companies
H.R. 906 — Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act · Filed by Robert Wittman (R-VA) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 31, 2025 · Passed chamber
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill requires the FCC to publish and maintain a public list of companies and entities that hold FCC licenses or authorizations and have ownership stakes held by governments or entities from countries designated as U.S. adversaries (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea). The FCC must publish an initial list within 120 days for entities already subject to FCC ownership-reporting rules, then issue rules within 18 months to identify additional entities with foreign adversary ownership, with a final expanded list due within one year after those rules are issued.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is mandatory public disclosure of foreign ownership in FCC-licensed entities. It does not restrict operations, impose new licensing conditions, or grant exemptions—it simply requires the FCC to identify and list entities with covered-country ownership stakes and publish that information.
What the text implies
- The list may create market pressure on listed entities (reputational, customer, or investor-driven) without formal regulatory action, potentially affecting their competitive position or valuation.
- The bill exempts the information collection from Paperwork Reduction Act review, which may accelerate implementation but reduces public notice-and-comment opportunity on the FCC's data-gathering rules.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill increases transparency about foreign ownership of U.S. communications infrastructure without restricting citizens' rights or imposing new costs.