FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has announced that he has established a new Council for National Security within the FCC—the Council will leverage the full range of the Commission’s regulatory, investigatory, and enforcement authorities to promote America’s national security and counter foreign adversaries, particularly the threats posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chairman Carr also named his National Security Counsel, Adam Chan, as the first Director of the FCC’s Council on National Security.
The Council will have a 3-part goal: (1) Reduce the American technology and telecommunications sectors’ trade and supply chain dependencies on foreign adversaries; (2) Mitigate America’s vulnerabilities to cyberattacks, espionage, and surveillance by foreign adversaries; and (3) Ensure the U.S. wins the strategic competition with China over critical technologies, such as 5G and 6G, AI, satellites and space, quantum computing, robotics and autonomous systems, and the Internet of Things.
The Council will be comprised of representatives from eight Bureaus and Offices within the FCC, fostering cross-agency collaboration and information sharing. The Council will facilitate the Chairman’s ability to implement a comprehensive national security agenda and facilitate the Commission’s engagement with national security partners across the Executive Branch and in Congress.
“Today, the country faces a persistent and constant threat from foreign adversaries, particularly the CCP,” said Chairman Carr. “These bad actors are always exploring ways to breach our networks, devices, and technology ecosystem. It is more important than ever that the FCC remain vigilant and protect Americans and American companies from these threats. Because these threats now cut across a range of sectors that the FCC regulates, it is important that the FCC’s national security efforts pull resources from a variety of FCC organizations.”