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Eric Geller
@ericjgeller.com

Breaking: The FCC has voted 2-1 along party lines to eliminate cybersecurity requirements for telecom companies that the commission adopted at the end of the Biden administration. Telecoms had lobbied for the change. Democrats said it would invite another Salt Typhoon. Story coming shortly.

Eric Geller
@ericjgeller.com

The rules were "neither lawful nor effective," FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said before the vote. He said telecom companies had improved its cybersecurity significantly since China's Salt Typhoon espionage campaign laid bare the porous state of their networks.

Eric Geller
@ericjgeller.com

Anna Gomez, the lone Democrat on the FCC, disagreed. "If voluntary cooperation were enough, we would not be sitting here today in the wake of Salt Typhoon," she said. "Partnership and collaboration that carry no enforceable accountability are insufficient by design."

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Eric Geller
@ericjgeller.com

Senate Intelligence Committee ranking member Mark Warner is not happy about the FCC getting rid of its cyber requirements for telecoms. "While collaboration with industry is essential, it must be paired with clear, enforceable expectations that reflect the scale of the threat."