The FCC’s Jessica Rosenworsel isn’t going down without a fight

As the United States scrambles to cut China out of its communications network, Jessica Rosenworcel, outgoing Democratic chair Federal Communications CommissionSays it’s vital for his Republican successor to maintain strong oversight of the telecommunications industry.

The government is still being ripped off by the Chinese “Salt Typhoon” hacking campaign That hacked at least nine US telecom companies and gave Beijing access to Americans’ phone calls and text messages and wiretap systems used by law enforcement agencies. The operation exploited US carriers with horrendously weak cyber security An AT&T administrator account which lacked basic security.

To prevent a repeat of the unprecedented telecom intrusion, Rosenwarcel used the waning days of his FCC leadership to propose new cybersecurity requirements for telecom operators. Commission on Thursday Voted briefly to approve his proposal. But those rules face a bleak future, with President-elect Donald Trump preparing to take office and hand control of the FCC to Commissioner Brendan Carr, who voted against Rosenworsel’s regulatory plan.

In an interview days before Trump’s inauguration, Rosenwarcel was adamant that regulation is part of the answer to America’s telecom security crisis. And he has a stern message for Republicans who think the solution is to police the telecoms themselves.

“We are wrestling with what has been described as the worst telecommunications hack in our country’s history,” he says. “Either you take serious action or you don’t.”

“the right thing to do”

Rosenworsel’s plan Consists of two steps. First, the FCC formally announced that the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), which requires telecom companies to design their phone and Internet systems to comply with wiretaps, also requires them to implement basic cyber defenses to prevent tampering. Next, the FCC proposed requiring a wide range of companies regulated by the commission to develop detailed cyber risk-management plans and annually certify their implementation.

The outgoing chairwoman described the rules as a commonsense response to a devastating attack.

“In the United States in 2025, it will shock most consumers to learn that our networks do not have minimum cybersecurity standards,” Rosenworsel said. “We’re asking carriers to create a plan and certify that they’re following that plan That’s the right thing to do.”

Absent these standards, he added, “our networks are going to lack the protection they need from such state-state threats in the future.”

But Republicans are unlikely to accept new rules on telecom networks. The powerful telecom industry strongly opposes any new rules, and Republicans almost always side with the industry in these debates.

Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who now chairs the Commerce Committee, called Rosenworsel’s plan “a Band-Aid at best and a serious blind spot at worst.” During the hearing In December

Carr – who last month Called Salt Typhoon “Deeply troubling” – voted against Rosenworsel’s proposal along with fellow Republican Commissioner Nathan Symington. Carr’s office did not respond to a request for comment about the new regulations. But he has Criticized repeatedly Rosenworcel’s approach to enforcing rules in the telecom industry, accuses him of overreach and warns that the FCC must rein itself in or face pushback from the courts.