FCC dumps plan for telecom security rules that Internet providers don’t like

The FCC intends to vote in November to repeal a ruling that required telecom providers to secure their networks, acting on a request from major ISP lobby groups.

According to Jon Brodkin, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the ruling “exceeded the agency’s authority and did not present an effective or agile response to the relevant cybersecurity threats.” The January 2025 declaratory ruling followed attacks such as Salt Typhoon, and stated that CALEA “affirmatively requires telecommunications carriers to secure their networks from unlawful

access or interception of communications.” The commission argued that voluntary commitments from carriers now make additional rules unnecessary, noting that providers have accelerated patching, tightened access controls, and improved threat-hunting and information sharing. A draft order would rescind the declaratory ruling as unlawful and unnecessary and withdraw the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, favouring a targeted, rather than one-size-fits-all, approach to cybersecurity. The story frames the move as a shift away from stricter regulatory requirements toward collaboration between federal and private sectors.