FCC considers new rules in limiting security risks in telecom equipment

The head of the Federal Communications Commission is considering new rules that would effectively bar the use of telecommunications equipment from foreign suppliers who are deemed a threat to national security. At the FCC's next public meeting Chairman Ajit Pai plans to propose rules that would bar money from the commission's $8.5 billion Universal Service Fund from going to U.S. telecommunications providers that buy equipment from companies that "pose a national security threat" to U.S. networks. "Hidden 'back doors' to our networks in routers, switches -- and virtually any other type of telecommunications equipment -- can provide an avenue for hostile governments to inject viruses, launch denial-of-service attacks, steal data, and more," Pai said in a March 26 statement introducing the proposed rules. "Although the FCC alone can't safeguard the integrity of our communications supply chain, we must and will play our part in a government- and industry-wide effort to protect the security of our networks."

The proposed rules would apply only to future spending on gear, senior FCC officials explained in a conference call with reporters on March 26, but they might apply to upgrades to that equipment.

https://gcn.com/articles/2018/03/27/fcc-secure-telecom-equipment.aspx