FCC vote to reverse telco cybersecurity requirements upcoming

Cybersecurity Dive reports that the Federal Communications Commission will be deciding on removing cybersecurity requirements for telecommunications providers enacted under a Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act ruling during the tail end of the Biden administration next month.

The CALEA declaration, which was made amid intensified Chinese state-sponsored intrusions against U.S. telecommunications firms, "both exceeded the agency's authority and did not present an effective or agile response to the relevant cybersecurity threats," said FCC Chair Brendan Carr in a blog post.

Eliminating the CALEA ruling would ditch the proposed implementation of cybersecurity plans with network intrusion, service interruption, and supply chain threat mitigations among telcos. Additional FCC measures to ensure continued cybersecurity oversight of telcos were not detailed by Carr, who only noted the agency's imminent declaration of cybersecurity enhancement measures adopted by telecommunications providers.

Carr's plan follows the reported months-long state-sponsored cyberattack against U.S. telco backbone technology provider Ribbon Communications.