Fischer, Wittman Statement on FCC Action to Prevent Foreign Adversaries from Infiltrating U.S. Communications Networks

Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) released a joint statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) advanced an
order
to establish new foreign investment disclosure requirements:
“We’ve been pushing hard to prevent adversarial regimes like communist China and Russia from acquiring silent footholds in our telecommunications networks. It’s why we’ve continued to champion our bipartisan, bicameral
FACT Act
to protect the privacy of our citizens and safeguard our national security.
“We thank Chairman Carr and the FCC for taking this important step to put our legislation into motion. Now, it’s time to pass our bill to make this action permanent, enabling the FCC to evaluate these network infrastructure risks not only today, but into the future. We are ready to finish the job and look forward to seeing the
FACT Act
signed into law,”
said Fischer and Wittman.
Background:
Fischer and Wittman introduced the
Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT)
Act
last year. The Senate passed
Fischer’s version
in October of 2025, and the House passed Wittman’s version in April of 2025. The legislation will strengthen America’s telecommunications against foreign adversaries by requiring the FCC to publicly identify entities that hold FCC licenses, authorizations, or other grants of authority that are owned, wholly or partially, by foreign adversarial governments.
Fischer
questioned an expert cybersecurity witness
during a Senate Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee in December 2025, who agreed the
FACT Act
must be signed into law to serve as a frontline defense in protecting the United States from foreign adversaries.
In the wake of the
FACT Act
’s progress, the
FCC’s order
similarly requires holders of certain commission licenses, authorizations, and other approvals to report if they are owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary. The measures give the commission a more comprehensive, systematic view of potential threats and are essential to mitigating national security risks.
Download a fact sheet on the order
here
.