Within the FCC, a new Council for National Security has been formed to use the agency’s regulatory, investigatory and enforcement authorities to promote national security and counter foreign adversaries, according to the commission’s chairman, Brendan Carr. In announcing the new council on March 13, the chairman highlighted threats posed by the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party. He named Adam Chan as the council’s first director. Chan has served as Carr’s national security counsel.
Carr said the United States faces a persistent and constant threat from foreign adversaries, particularly the CCP. “These bad actors are always exploring ways to breach our networks, devices and technology ecosystem,” he said. “It is more important than ever that the FCC remain vigilant and protect Americans and American companies from these threats. Because these threats now cut across a range of sectors that the FCC regulates, it is important that the FCC’s national security efforts pull resources from a variety of FCC organizations.”
As outlined by the FCC, the work of the council will reduce the American technology and telecommunications sectors’ trade and supply chain dependencies on foreign adversaries. It will also mitigate America’s vulnerabilities to cyberattacks, espionage and surveillance by foreign adversaries. In addition, the council’s effort will ensure that the United States wins the strategic competition with China over critical technologies, such as 5G and 6G, AI, satellites and space, quantum computing, robotics and autonomous systems, and the internet of things, the FCC said.
The commission said that the council will draw representatives from eight FCC bureaus and offices, fostering cross-agency collaboration and information-sharing.
“The council will facilitate the chairman’s ability to implement a comprehensive national security agenda and facilitate the commission’s engagement with national security partners across the executive branch and in Congress,” an FCC statement reads.