Florida Senator Rick Scott has introduced new legislation aimed at protecting the nation’s electric grid from potential threats posed by foreign adversaries, with a focus on Communist China’s control over high-wattage smart devices.
The Preventing Remote Operations by Threatening Entities on Critical Technology for the Grid Act, or PROTECT the Grid Act, seeks to investigate and mitigate risks associated with internet-connected appliances that could be manipulated to disrupt power supplies.
The bill highlights concerns over Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as electric vehicle chargers and smart appliances, which consume significant power and may be vulnerable to remote control by entities linked to foreign governments. The legislation cites studies showing that coordinated attacks on these devices could cause frequency imbalances, leading to grid instability and potential blackouts.
Sen. Scott’s office explained in a press release, “This bill targets an alarming threat posed by high-wattage smart devices produced or controlled by foreign adversaries like Communist China. These seemingly benign internet-connected appliances, such as smart ovens, EV chargers, and laundry appliances, can come with embedded software controlled by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) affiliated companies – giving Communist China a potential avenue to infiltrate and disrupt America’s electric grid.”
“We cannot forget the existential threat that the Chinese Communist Party poses to our national security and American citizens.,” Sen. Scott 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 senator continued, “The risk this access poses cannot be understated – it means Communist China could flip a digital switch and plunge parts of America into chaos. My Protect the Grid Act calls for an investigation into China’s influence through these items and how we can work to off their access, secure our grid, and stop a foreign dictatorship from holding American citizens hostage through their own appliances.”
Key provisions of the PROTECT the Grid Act require the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with other federal officials, to submit a report to congressional committees within 270 days of enactment. This report must assess the deployment of high-wattage IoT devices, evaluate risks to the electric grid from foreign adversary-controlled applications, and analyze potential national security impacts, including cascading failures.
The legislation also calls for recommendations on mitigation strategies, such as restricting federal procurement of vulnerable products, establishing certification requirements for devices, and applying existing authorities to limit transactions involving threatening technologies.
Additionally, the bill codifies Executive Order 13873, issued by the Trump administration in 2019, which empowers the Secretary of Commerce to prohibit or restrict information and communications technology services from foreign companies determined to be a national security risk.
Scott’s office added, “The Protect the Grid Act is the latest of Senator Scott’s bills to hold Communist China accountable for working to destroy America, including his most recent bill to crack down on adversarial intelligence gathering operations from regimes like the CCP. Additionally, his Drones for America Act, No Adversarial AI Act, Prying into Chinese Tyrants’ Unreported Riches, Earnings, and Secrets (PICTURES) Act, Military Installation Retail Security Act, No Safe Harbor for the Enemy Act, and legislative package to curb Communist China’s exploitation of U.S. markets, along with a recent letter to David Perdue, the U.S. Ambassador to China detailing several of his top priorities.”
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