Abbott Issues Orders Targeting China

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Gov. Greg Abbott issued three executive orders last week targeting the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party, The Dallas Morning News reported Abbott said the orders were intended to protect Texans of Chinese descent from “harassment and intimidation” by the Chinese Communist Party and government, and to fight threats to state security.

“Texas will not tolerate the harassment or coercion of the more than 250,000 individuals of Chinese descent who legally call Texas home by the Chinese Communist Party or its heinous proxies,” Abbott said.

The orders:

• Instruct the Texas Department of Public Safety to establish a hotline for victims and to “target and arrest” operatives in the state working with the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government.

• Direct all state agencies, colleges and universities to “harden” their systems against foreign governments. That includes stronger background checks on employees with access to critical infrastructure and banning state agencies from doing business with companies owned wholly or partially by foreign adversary countries.

• Direct the Texas Department of Emergency Management and the Public Utility Commission to create a task force to study vulnerabilities to potential cyberattacks and run simulations of possible responses.

“China has made it clear that they can — and will — target and attack America’s critical infrastructure,” Abbott said.

State Plan For $3 Billion To Expand Broadband Approved 

The state has won federal approval to move forward with its plan to improve broadband internet access for the estimated 7 million Texas residents who don’t have access, The Texas Tribune reported. The approval came from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which means the state now has access to about $3.3 billion in federal funding included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The state has already awarded more than $1 billion in state and federal funding for broadband investments. Last week, applicants in 15 counties were awarded $580 million to connect 80,000 locations, according to the Texas Broadband Development Office. Federal maps that show where internet connections are needed are being questioned as to their accuracy, The Tribune reported.

“We want to make sure the data being provided to us by the federal government is accurate and up to date,” Greg Conte, director of the TBDO, said.