The Federal Communications Commission has adopted an Order on Reconsideration rescinding its January 2025 Declaratory Ruling, which declared that carriers’ Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act obligations extended beyond their duty to protect their network against unlawful access and interception, to how they manage their network in securing against unauthorized interception. The FCC determined that the previous Declaratory Ruling was unlawful and ineffective at promoting cybersecurity, explaining that the Commission will instead rely on the continuing collaborative industry efforts to share cybersecurity threat information and best practices to quickly and effectively protect against new cyber threats.
The Order also withdrew a previously adopted Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that sought comment on requiring all communications service providers to create and implement cybersecurity and supply chain risk management plans.
