TechNet Welcomes House Request for Investigation into Foreign Influence Campaigns to Undermine U.S. Technological Progress

Washington, D.C. - TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of tech CEOs and senior executives, welcomed a Congressional request for the Trump Administration to investigate alleged foreign influence campaigns aimed at undermining the development of the infrastructure needed to drive the United States' continued leadership in emerging technologies and Americans' access to digital services. The investigation was requested by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman John Joyce (R-PA), and Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (R-OH), who in a letter to Trump Administration officials pointed to compelling evidence that foreign actors - many with links to China - are behind coordinated efforts to generate public opposition to the development of data centers.

"There's no doubt our adversaries are willing to go to great lengths to compromise U.S. innovation so they can get ahead. Local residents deserve to have a say in any development in their communities, but recent reports underscore the troubling reality that our competitors intend to stoke widespread fear and confusion around data centers - threatening to hamper technological advancement and access to critical digital services for Americans nationwide," said Mike Ward, TechNet's Senior Vice President for Federal Policy and Government Relations. "We appreciate the leadership of Representatives Guthrie, Joyce, and Latta in shining a light on these bad actors, and we urge the Administration to follow up with a thorough investigation."