Chairman Pai Introduces New Rules to Protect US Communications from National Security Threats

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai presented his colleagues with a two-part proposal that would help safeguard the nation’s communications networks. The FCC will vote on this proposal at its Nov 19 meeting.

First, a draft Report and Order would bar communications companies from using any support they receive from the FCC’s Universal Service Fund to purchase equipment or services from companies posing a national security threat, like the Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE. The draft Order would also establish a process for designating other suppliers that pose a national security threat. Second, a draft Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would propose requiring certain carriers receiving USF funds, known as eligible telecommunications carriers, to remove existing equipment and services from designated companies from their networks, and seek comment on how to provide financial assistance to these carriers to help them transition to more trusted suppliers. The draft item would also adopt an information collection to help assess the extent to which eligible telecommunications carriers have deployed Huawei and ZTE equipment in their networks as well as the costs to remove and replace it.