Chairman Mike Gallagher and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission on Monday requesting the agency provide relevant information on the possible Chinese threat. The congressmen expressed concern that the"internet of things" modules — which connect to the internet in electric cars, medical equipment, and tractors, among many other devices — could be turned off by China if the nation wished to do so.
Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi named Quectel and Fibocom as the two main China-based companies that provide the modules to the U.S. for use in technology. According to the committee, Chinese companies dominate 45% of the world’s IoT module industry. Because of this, the Chinese Communist Party could access many of the devices Americans use - from cars, to medical equipment & critical infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/LdwTSYXJ0JQuectel supplies the connectivity modules to international firms, and Fibocom provides services to individuals who collaborate with tech companies, the letter states. These modules can also be reportedly found in toy dolls.
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has the authority to “investigate and submit policy recommendations on the status of the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, technological, and security progress and its competition with the United States.”