Copyright Bangor Daily News
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com Andrew Ketterer is a partner at Ketterer & Ketterer Law Firm. He previously served as Maine’s attorney general from 1995 to 2001, and as the president of the National Association of Attorneys General from 2000 to 2001. As Maine’s attorney general, my job was to protect consumers from fraud, price-gouging, and abusive practices. Whether it was a family in Portland losing their savings to a scammer or a senior in Bangor overcharged by a health insurer, my guiding principle was simple: When Mainers are threatened, the law must be on their side. Today, the threats look different. They come not only from dishonest actors at home but from powerful interests abroad. Beijing-backed companies like Huawei, which the Pentagon categorizes as Chinese government-run military companies, aren’t just competing in the marketplace; they are advancing a deliberate strategy to control the world’s digital infrastructure. If they succeed, it won’t just be about who sells the cheapest router. It will be about whether Maine’s hospitals, banks, and manufacturers are dependent on technology that can be exploited for espionage or shut off at a moment’s notice. Our state has too much at stake to ignore this risk. From L.L. Bean and UnitedHealth to IDEXX Laboratories, Pratt & Whitney, and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, our state runs on data. Farmers rely on advanced logistics. Patients rely on secure medical records. Businesses rely on cloud networks to connect with their customers. If we allow Chinese companies to dominate the backbone of those systems, we are putting Maine families and small businesses in harm’s way. This isn’t a theoretical problem. We have already seen how Chinese nationals connected to organized crime have infiltrated Maine’s marijuana industry. That is why we must support companies trying to compete with China — just as the Department of Justice recently did when it, at the explicit urging of the U.S. intelligence community, approved the Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks merger after securing some smart divestment conditions. I spent years fighting corporate consolidation when it raised prices or hurt consumers. But there is a difference between mergers that reduce competition and those that enhance America’s ability to compete on the global stage and protect its people. But supporting American firms’ ability to compete is only half the job. We also need to get smart about stopping cyberattacks that threaten our communities. Just this summer, we suffered widespread disruptions as two cyberattacks targeted healthcare facilities. Files were encrypted, and the personal data of patients was stolen. State leaders are taking this seriously. Gov. Janet Mills’ Artificial Intelligence Task Force made preliminary recommendations, suggesting the state will expand existing programs designed to defend from cyberattacks. Those include the Maine Technology Institute’s Maine Entrepreneurial Resource Corps and technical expertise from the University of Maine Augusta’s Cybersecurity Center and Maine Cyber Range program. This is critical. Next, the Pine Tree State should back up this new reporting requirement with more investment in cyber defenses for local governments, tougher penalties for hackers, and stronger cooperation between state, federal, and private-sector security experts. We cannot leave the future of our networks in the hands of Beijing, nor can we shrug off the ransomware gangs and hackers who target our cities, schools, and hospitals. This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s a common-sense issue. As a former attorney general, I believe we need to treat Chinese technology and cybercriminals the same way we would treat a scammer targeting our seniors or a corporation gouging our families: stop them before they do harm. By supporting strong American companies and cracking down on cyberattacks, we are standing up for Maine’s security, its economy, and its people.
