- Bipartisan legislation aiming to counter China‘s dominance in wireless technology standards has advanced to a House vote after committee approval.
- The bill requires the Commerce Department to develop unified strategies for 5G and future wireless network standards to preserve US technological leadership.
- Chinese companies like Huawei have submitted significantly more technical contributions to global standards bodies than US firms, highlighting the challenge to American technological influence.
A bipartisan bill designed to combat China’s growing influence in global wireless technology standards has cleared the Energy and Commerce Committee and now heads to a full House vote, marking a significant step in US efforts to maintain technological leadership in critical telecommunications infrastructure.
The Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act of 2025 (H.R.1765) was introduced on March 3 by Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), and Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.). Just one day later, the legislation successfully advanced through committee after a voice vote.
The core purpose of the bill is to empower the assistant secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to unite companies and stakeholders in creating a cohesive strategy for standard-setting in 5G and next-generation wireless networks.
Dingell, who co-chairs the congressional 5G and Beyond Caucus, emphasized the bill’s importance during the March 4 committee markup: “The policy choices of today will have lasting effects on the global wireless technology development of tomorrow, especially as we continue to compete against China.”
The legislation specifically targets important standard-setting bodies including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), along with organizations accredited by the American National Standard Institute or Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions.
The urgency behind this legislation becomes clear when examining China’s strategic approach. “The Chinese government streamlines spectrum management, invests heavily in telecom infrastructure, and launches diplomatic efforts to shape international standards in its favor,” Dingell noted during committee proceedings.
China’s comprehensive economic blueprint known as China Standards 2035 aims to establish Chinese technical standards as global norms for advanced technologies, reducing their dependence on foreign technology while generating royalty revenue from patent licensing.
The scale of China’s influence in standard-setting bodies is already significant. During a congressional hearing in 2020, data revealed that Chinese telecom giant Huawei had submitted over 19,000 technical contributions to 3GPP—the umbrella organization that develops mobile telecommunications protocols. This vastly outpaced US-based Qualcomm and Intel, which made 5,994 and 3,656 contributions respectively.
More concerning for US interests, Huawei’s approval rate was also superior, with 5,855 approved technical contributions compared to Qualcomm’s 1,994 and Intel’s 962. By 2020, Chinese firms owned approximately 36 percent of patents essential to global 5G standards, while US companies held just 14 percent.
China has also leveraged its influence within the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)—a United Nations branch that develops standards for information and communications technology—as a platform to advance its industrial policies.
A previous version of this bill passed the House in December 2024 after being introduced in March 2023, but stalled in the Senate. Dingell has expressed optimism that the current version will successfully become law in this Congress.
Representative Kean summarized the legislation’s importance, saying it would ensure American companies, engineers, and policymakers “have a seat at the table in international standard-setting bodies,” and would “prevent foreign adversaries from shaping the future global communications to their advantage.”
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