As the United States struggles to oust China from its communications networks, Jessica Rosenworcel, the outgoing Democratic chair Federal Communications CommissionSays it's important for his Republican successor to maintain strong oversight of the telecommunications industry.
The government is still afraid of the Chinese “Salt Typhoon” hacking campaign That penetrated at least nine US telecommunications companies and gave Beijing access to Americans' phone calls and text messages and wiretap systems used by law enforcement. This operation took advantage of the shockingly poor cybersecurity of US carriers An AT&T Administrator Account Which lacked basic security protection.
To prevent a repeat of the unprecedented telecommunications intrusion, Rosenworcel used the waning days of his FCC leadership to propose new cybersecurity requirements for telecommunications operators. Commission on Thursday… narrowly escaped To approve his proposal. But the future of those rules is bleak as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office and transfer control of the FCC to Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Trump ally who voted against Rosenworcel's regulatory plan.
In an interview days before Trump's inauguration, Rosenworcel was adamant that regulation is part of the answer to America's telecommunications security crisis. And he has a tough message for Republicans who think the solution is to let telecom police itself.
“We are dealing with what has been described as the worst telecommunications hack in the history of our country,” she says. “You either take serious action or you don't.”
“The Right Thing to Do”
Rosenworcel's plan There are two stages in this. First, the FCC formally announced that the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (CALEA), which requires telecommunications companies to design their phone and Internet systems to comply with wiretaps, would prevent them from being tampered with. It also requires implementing basic cyber security. Subsequently, the FCC proposed requiring a wide range of companies regulated by the Commission to develop detailed cyber risk-management plans and certify their implementation annually.
The outgoing president has described the rules as a common-sense response to a devastating attack.
“In the United States in 2025, most consumers will be shocked to learn that our networks do not meet minimum cybersecurity standards,” Rosenworcel says. “We are asking carriers to develop a plan and certify that they follow that plan. It is the right thing to do.”
In the absence of these standards, she adds, “our networks are going to lack the protection they need from these kinds of nation-state threats in the future.”
But Republicans are unlikely to embrace new regulations on telecommunications networks. The powerful telecommunications industry strongly opposes any new regulations, and Republicans almost always side with the industry in these debates.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, now chairman of the Commerce Committee, called Rosenworcel's plan “a Band-Aid at best and hiding a serious blind spot at worst.” during a hearing In December.
Carr – Joe last month called salt typhoon “Deeply concerning” – Voted against Rosenworcel's proposal, along with his fellow Republican Commissioner Nathan Symington. Carr's office did not respond to a request for comment about the new rules. but he has repeatedly criticized Rosenworcel's approach to imposing regulations on the telecommunications industry, accusing them of overreach and warning that the FCC would have to rein itself in or face pushback from the courts.