ICT Supply Chain Security: A Panel Discussion

On February 24, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order (EO) on a whole-of-government strategy to secure supply chains for critical and essential goods. The EO institutes a parallel examination of supply chain vulnerabilities: (1) a 100-day review of four key industries, including semiconductors and (2) a one-year review of a broader range of industries, including information and communications technology (ICT). At the same time, the Biden Administration did not withdraw the ICT supply chain security rule from the Trump Administration that is scheduled to go into effect March 22. Citing security benefits to the ICT supply chain, the Acting Chairwoman of the FCC has teed up a Notice of Inquiry on Open Radio Access Networks (ORAN) for the FCC’s March 17 meeting. The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunication and Information Administration has launched its own Notice of Inquiry on 5G Open Stack Challenge on behalf of the Department of Defense.

What do these actions mean for the ICT sector, and the semiconductor industry particularly? Will ORAN result in more secure and trusted 5G networks? Will it be adopted due to perceived long-term cost savings and operational benefits, or will government mandate its adoption? If the ICT supply chain rule goes into effect this month, will there be enough semiconductors to power 5G? Join us for a panel of informed experts to discuss these critical issues.

Featuring:
-- Maryam Khan Cope, Director, Government Affairs, Semiconductor Industry Association
-- Kelsey Guyselman, Deputy Policy Director, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
-- Hon. John Kneuer, President and Founder, JKC Consulting LLC; former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, U.S. Department of Commerce
-- Gregory Watson, Policy Advisor, Hon. Brendan Carr, Federal Communications Commission
-- Moderator: Patricia Paoletta, Partner, Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP