Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called for the agency to quickly adopt rules that will allow the FCC to proceed with a spectrum auction to fully fund the removal, replacement, and disposal of insecure Chinese-made Huawei and ZTE equipment and services from U.S. networks without further delay.  The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act provides essential funding for the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement (or “Rip and Replace”) Program by giving the FCC authority to auction AWS-3 spectrum licenses in its inventory.

On December 31, 2024, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel released a note reflecting on the agency's work over the course of 2024. "The end of the year is always a time for reflection," Chairwoman Rosenworcel said. "That’s especially true for me in 2024 as my service at the Federal Communications Commission is coming to a close. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role and a special privilege to be the first woman confirmed to do so." The Chairwoman categorized her time at the FCC into five core values:

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) and the Office of Managing Director (OMD) announced that on December 23, 2024, the Spectrum and Secure Technology and Innovation Act of 2024 was signed into law as part of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (2025 NDAA).

This week, Congress passed the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, this year's version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The law authorizes $895.2 billion for Department of Defense programs, defense-related activities, and national security programs in the Department of Energy and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

I applaud Congress for fully funding the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. In 2019, I convened a first-of-its-kind workshop at the Federal Communications Commission to consider security threats that stem from the presence of Chinese communications equipment in U.S. networks.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear TikTok’s challenge to a law that could ban its U.S. operations, putting the case on an exceptionally fast track, culminating in oral arguments at a special session on Jan. 10. In setting aside two hours for the argument, the justices signaled that they viewed the case as presenting questions of exceptional importance. The move came only two days after TikTok and its Chinese parent company filed an emergency application.

Elon Musk and his rocket company, SpaceX, have repeatedly failed to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting state secrets, including by not providing some details of his meetings with foreign leaders. Concerns about the reporting practices—and particularly about Mr. Musk, who is SpaceX’s chief executive—have triggered at least three federal reviews. The Air Force also recently denied Mr. Musk a high-level security access, citing potential security risks associated with the billionaire.

Reps. Randy Weber (R-TX) and August Pfluger (R-TX) introduced the Securing Every Vector, Enhancing Networks (SEVEN) Act, a bill designed to strengthen America’s defenses against cyber threats targeting the Signaling System 7 (SS7) telecommunications protocol. The legislation aims to address these vulnerabilities by coordinating efforts across the government and creating a task force of cybersecurity experts to develop solutions. 

White House National Cyber Director Harry Coker, Jr.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) secured just over $3 billion to ensure communities across the country can remove and replace Chinese-owned telecommunication equipment from U.S. networks.