ntia报告大会竞争力和可持续性值得信赖的供应商无线供应链

August5,2021 As required by Section 9202(a)(1)(G) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry NationalDefense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY 21 NDAA), I am writing to provide aninitial report with additional recommendations to promote the competitiveness and sustainabilityof trusted suppliers in the wireless supply chain, as well as on any further authorities that may beneeded to facilitate timely adoption of open standards-based equipment.1Through the NationalTelecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Department of Commercecontinues to closely monitor legislative developments pertinent to the Public Wireless SupplyChain Innovation Fund (Innovation Fund) authorized by Section 9202(a)(1) of the FY 21NDAA, such as the $1.5 billion in appropriated funding included as part of the Senate-passedUnited States Innovation and Competition Act.2 The Department’s primary recommendation is to support final passage of measuresnecessary to allow NTIA to begin operating the Innovation Fund. Public research anddevelopment investments have previously helped to drive transformative technologicalbreakthroughs, such as the emergence of the early Internet,3and today rank among the mostbroadly supported measures among U.S. stakeholders active on open and interoperabletelecommunications networks. For example, a wide range of participants cited the InnovationFund during NTIA’s February25, 2021,industry listening session on “Vendor Diversity for 5GSecurity.”4This same theme recurred across various responses to the FCC’s March 2021 Notice of Inquiry on “Open RAN,”5one of which asserted that the Innovation Fund (along with arelated “Multilateral Telecommunications Security Fund”)6would “propel research anddevelopment, job creation and the building of secure and trusted solutions domestically.”7 As this broad support indicates, the Innovation Fundoffers promise to bolster Americanleadership in trusted 5G and future wireless technology solutions. These investments willincrease the capacity for U.S. communications providers and suppliers to move effectively intoan interoperable, software-enabledmodel. Governmental assistance in promoting, testing, anddeploying open, interoperable 5G technology will enhance U.S. competitiveness and strengthenthe foundation for our long-term economic prosperity and security. The market is already beginning tomove in this direction.As demonstrated in thepresentations by the over 30 vendors and service providers that participated in the FCC’s recentOpen RANSolutions Showcase,8deployments of networks featuring Open RAN architecturesare currently underwayboth in the United States and internationally.However, some key issuesremain that are keeping Open RAN products and services from large-scale deployment. TheInnovation Fund would target concerns regarding integration, compatibility, scalability, andsecurity, while also supporting underlying technical efforts and use case development morewidely. It is a critical time to make foundational investments in next-generation innovation,particularly as other governments undertake their own next-generationnetwork investmentstrategies. From an international perspective, Innovation Fund investments would bolster U.S.efforts to build global coalitions for secure, trusted, anddiverse 5G networks, including byfostering tangible use cases and proof-points for open network architectures. They would likelyyield technical insights and lessons learned that could be shared with other governments, andmore broadly advance the viability of approaches that enhance our common security. TheMultilateral Telecommunications Security Fund, also authorized by Section 9202 of theFY 21NDAA, would be another important contribution in this respect. Finally, the Department does not recommend additional authoritiesfor NTIAto facilitatethe timely adoption of open standards-based equipment at this time. NTIA is preparing its findings following extensive stakeholder outreach conducted since theFY 21NDAA wasenacted, such as the previously noted industry listening session on vendor diversity and a priorsession on 5G security.9In addition, if the Innovation Fund receives a final appropriation, NTIAwill carefully assess lessons learned from operating the program. At that time, NTIA will drawupon this enriched knowledge base to develop informed analysis and potential recommendations,which could then be presented in the separate, annual report on the Innovation Fund mandated bytheFY 21NDAA. The Department appreciates the opportunity to provide information on this importantmatter. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office at(202) 482-3663. Sincerely, Evelyn RemaleyActing Assistant Secretary forCommunications and Informationand Acting NTIA Administrator