The UK government introduced the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill to regulate cybersecurity Wednesday. The Bill aims to impose harsher sanctions for non-compliance with the standards that the Bill introduces.

The Bill was created to help to protect consumers from attacks by hackers by imposing security requirements on all manufacturers of “internet-connectable” devices. These include smartphones, smart televisions, tablets and watches. 20 percent of manufacturers of these products were found to have insufficient security measures in place.

Split into two parts, the “Product Security” measures will insist all stages of production from manufacturers to distributors comply with new security measures, such as not having default passwords on devices. Failure to do so could mean heaving fines are imposed and possible criminal sanctions to prevent products from entering the domestic market. Ministers can set the minimum requirements for security and powers to enforce sanctions for breaches.

The “Telecommunications Infrastructure,” amending the Electronic Communications Code, will have measures that support an efficient rollout of 5G networks to balance the interests of providers and the public. The aim is to encourage negotiations about agreements between network providers and landowners, instead of issuing legal proceedings.

Julia Lopez, the UK Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure expressed support for the Bill. She stated that the new measures will be a “firewall around everyday [technology]” and see “huge fines for those who fall foul of tough new security measures.”