Sponsors (2)
The bill creates a permanent, expert-informed advisory council to strengthen communications security and interoperability while concentrating appointment power in the FCC Chair and reducing periodic oversight, trading broader security coordination for increased risk of politicized membership and weaker external review.
State, local, Tribal governments (and the networks they rely on) will have a standing federal advisory council recommending improvements to communications security, reliability, and interoperability.
Industry and academic experts will be able to provide regular, structured recommendations to the FCC to help secure and make communications networks more interoperable.
State and local governments (and the public) will get increased transparency through biennial public posting of the council's reports and recommendations to the FCC.
Tech workers, financial institutions, and other potential participants could be excluded from the council if labeled 'not trusted' by the FCC Chair, concentrating selection power and risking politicized membership choices.
State and local governments (and oversight bodies) face reduced periodic review because the council is exempted from automatic termination, which could weaken accountability and external oversight over time.
Public-interest groups, academics, and other independent voices may be blocked from participation if designated 'not trusted,' limiting diverse viewpoints in national communications security discussions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the FCC to create or designate a council on communications security with specified membership rules and biennial reporting requirements.
Requires the Federal Communications Commission to create or designate an advisory council on communications security, reliability, and interoperability within 90 days. The council's members serve two-year terms, must include specified industry, public interest/academic, and federal/state/local/Tribal representatives as practicable, and must produce reports every two years that the FCC will publish. Sets membership rules including exclusions for entities the FCC Chair deems “not trusted” (based on specified foreign‑adversary or national security criteria), exempts the council from a federal advisory committee automatic termination rule, and defines key terms used in the law.
Official title: To direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish a council to make recommendations on ways to increase the security, reliability, and interoperability of communications networks, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 27, 2025 by Robert Menendez · Last progress July 16, 2025