Deb Fischer: “over a decade ago, when President Obama was in office and Apple's iPad was just hitting the market, our intelligence…”

“over a decade ago, when President Obama was in office and Apple's iPad was just hitting the market, our intelligence agencies began to notice a disturbing pattern. Chinese- made communications equipment was multiplying across our country, placed on top of cell towers throughout the Midwest. Equipment made by Chinese State-backed companies like Huawei and ZTE spread across my own home State of Nebraska, as well as nearby Colorado and Montana. Curiously, these technologies were clustering near critical military locations in midwestern States. Nebraska is home to sensitive areas, like Offutt Air Force Base and a number of nuclear missile silos. Well, the FBI looked into it. And they discovered that at least one Chinese company--Huawei--was regularly selling its equipment to rural providers at cheap prices that appeared unprofitable. But once installed, the equipment would be located right next to American military assets. The Chinese Communist Party is actively seeking ways to disrupt Department of Defense communications. And that is why we cannot allow communications equipment made in China next door to our military sites. This is just one example of the pervasive threat Chinese-made equipment in our communications networks poses to our national security. We know that the Chinese Communist Party intends to exploit these vulnerabilities for all kinds of activities, including espionage.…”