Federal Communications Commission Requests Comments On Effectiveness Of Cybersecurity Recommendations

The Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") is seeking industry and public comment on whether it should take further steps to ensure that the U.S. communications industry is sufficiently prepared for cybersecurity threats.

The Commission last raised this question several years ago when it appointed an advisory committee of industry, public safety, and consumer representatives to develop recommendations for best practices in lieu of regulatory requirements. The voluntary recommendations ("Recommendations"), released in 2012 by the FCC's Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council, focused on remediating security oversights, gaps, and outdated practices that facilitate malicious use of networks and network services. Among other things, the Recommendations included: