New legislation introduced by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., last Thursday seeks to block foreign adversaries from using internet-connected appliances to infiltrate and disrupt the United States’ electric grid.
The Preventing Remote Operations by Threatening Entities on Critical Technology for the Grid (PROTECT the Grid) Act directs the Department of Commerce to investigate “high-wattage” smart devices produced or controlled by nations like China that could be used to compromise infrastructure. The bill also directs the agency to provide a report on its findings to Congress.
Some of those devices named in the bill’s text include “electric vehicle chargers, clothes dryers, smart air conditioners, water heaters, ovens, and similar appliances.”
“We cannot forget the existential threat that the Chinese Communist Party poses to our national security and American citizens,” Sen. Scott, R-Fla., said in a statement. “The CCP uses every tool at its disposal to infiltrate our markets, our government, and our families’ everyday lives through smart products designed with a built-in backdoor for China to spy on them and access our power grids.”
The legislation also codifies an executive order signed by President Donald Trump during his first administration in 2019. The order declared a national emergency and set procedures to be carried out by the Commerce Department to prohibit the use or acquisition of information and communications technology or services developed by foreign adversaries.
Since the declaration was first made, it has been extended by both former President Joe Biden and President Trump during his second administration.
Commerce’s report to Congress following the bill’s passage would also seek proposals to extend coverage of the executive order to include IoT devices tied to the grid, while also restricting Federal procurement of risky consumer products, certifying or labeling requirements for IoT devices, and any other necessary protections.
Sen. Scott said the bill aims to determine the extent of foreign influence over American infrastructure and prevent foreign dictatorships from “holding American citizens hostage through their own appliances.”