Report on malign influence at the international telecommunication union

(a) Report Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall develop and submit to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Foreign Relations and Commerce, Science, and Transportation the Senate a report on Russian and Chinese strategies and efforts— (1) to expand the mandate of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to cover internet governance policy; and (2) to advance other actions favorable to authoritarian interests and/or hostile to fair, industry-led processes. (b) Elements The report required by subsection (a) shall also identify efforts by China and Russia— (1) to increase the ITU’s jurisdiction over internet governance and to propose internet governance standards at the ITU; (2) to leverage their private sector actors to advance their national interests through the ITU, including— (A) encouraging Chinese and Russian companies to leverage their market power to pressure other member countries to deliver favorable decisions on ITU elections; and (B) China’s efforts to leverage Huawei’s role as the primary telecommunications equipment and services provider for many developing countries to compel such countries to deliver favorable decisions on standards proposals, election victories, candidate selection, and other levers of power at the ITU; and (3) to use the influence of Chinese and Russian nationals serving in the ITU to advantage the companies, standards decisions, and candidates that advance the CCP and Kremlin’s interests. (c) Form The report required by this section shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.