FCC Abandons Plan to Secure Internet Service Provider Networks as Industry Lobbyists Push for Repeal.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to vote on November 20th to rescind a ruling that required internet service providers (ISPs) to secure their networks against unauthorized access. The decision comes after extensive engagement with carriers, who have made voluntary commitments to improve network security.
In January 2025, the FCC issued a declaratory ruling requiring ISPs to implement specific cybersecurity measures to protect their networks. However, the new chair, Brendan Carr, voted against the decision and has since said that the agency's interpretation of the law was "legally erroneous" and ineffective at promoting cybersecurity.
The move is seen as a victory for industry lobby groups, including CTIA-The Wireless Association, NCTA-The Internet & Television Association, and USTelecom-The Broadband Association, which had petitioned the FCC to reverse the decision. They argued that the law only requires ISPs to facilitate lawful intercepts from law enforcement, not to adopt specific network management practices.
The FCC's new approach emphasizes a "collaborative" strategy to tackle security through federal-private partnerships and more targeted rulemaking and enforcement. The agency claims that carriers have made significant progress in strengthening their cybersecurity defenses, including accelerated patching of outdated equipment, updating access controls, disabling unnecessary outbound connections, and improving threat-hunting efforts.
Critics, however, argue that the decision undermines the FCC's authority to regulate network security and puts public safety at risk. "This is a huge setback for cybersecurity," said Jessica Rosenworcel, former chairwoman of the FCC. "We need to modernize our rules to keep up with the threats."
The move has sparked concerns from advocacy groups, which claim that the decision will embolden malicious actors to target internet service providers and compromise national security.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to vote on November 20th to rescind a ruling that required internet service providers (ISPs) to secure their networks against unauthorized access. The decision comes after extensive engagement with carriers, who have made voluntary commitments to improve network security.
In January 2025, the FCC issued a declaratory ruling requiring ISPs to implement specific cybersecurity measures to protect their networks. However, the new chair, Brendan Carr, voted against the decision and has since said that the agency's interpretation of the law was "legally erroneous" and ineffective at promoting cybersecurity.
The move is seen as a victory for industry lobby groups, including CTIA-The Wireless Association, NCTA-The Internet & Television Association, and USTelecom-The Broadband Association, which had petitioned the FCC to reverse the decision. They argued that the law only requires ISPs to facilitate lawful intercepts from law enforcement, not to adopt specific network management practices.
The FCC's new approach emphasizes a "collaborative" strategy to tackle security through federal-private partnerships and more targeted rulemaking and enforcement. The agency claims that carriers have made significant progress in strengthening their cybersecurity defenses, including accelerated patching of outdated equipment, updating access controls, disabling unnecessary outbound connections, and improving threat-hunting efforts.
Critics, however, argue that the decision undermines the FCC's authority to regulate network security and puts public safety at risk. "This is a huge setback for cybersecurity," said Jessica Rosenworcel, former chairwoman of the FCC. "We need to modernize our rules to keep up with the threats."
The move has sparked concerns from advocacy groups, which claim that the decision will embolden malicious actors to target internet service providers and compromise national security.
OMG guys, have you heard about the latest news on the FCC's plan to secure ISP networks?! 
So they're basically ditching their original rule requiring ISPs to beef up their network security after carriers got all up in arms saying it was too much for them 
. I mean, come on! Security is super important and we need the FCC to be on top of this stuff 
.
. And now, industry lobby groups are basically rejoicing 
. It's like they think they're above the law or something 
. The fact that we have to rely on carriers to do the right thing by us is just so...
. I'm totally with her on this! We need stricter rules and more enforcement 
. This decision feels like a big step back for our country's security 
.
And yeah, that's awesome! But what about the hackers who are already out there? 
We can't just rely on them to be good guys 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. I mean, we just had a huge conversation about this topic like, 2 weeks ago 
and it seems like the FCC is just ignoring our concerns (or maybe they were listening all along 
). The thing is, if we don't secure these networks now, who's gonna do it when we need them most? 
. And what about the malicious actors? They're just gonna keep on coming, no matter what the FCC does 
.
. What's the real value of having an unsecured network anyway? Is it really worth putting public safety at risk? 
they're basically saying "oh no, we can't secure our own networks, it's too hard" meanwhile we're left wondering how all these threats are going to get patched up 
I'm not seeing any reliable sources on this and it's kinda sketchy 
.
. And don't even get me started on the "collaborative strategy" – sounds like corporate-speak for "we're not gonna do anything about it" 
security is key and the fcc is just rollin with it...like wut's next? 
. What's next? Are we gonna have to start worrying about our smart home devices too?! 
. What's next? Are they going to let ISPs get away with whatever they want without any oversight? It doesn't seem right 
.
i hope ppl are speaking out against this move because it feels super reckless 
. Who needs rules when carriers are "voluntarily" committing to security?