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Sens. Mark Warner and Ted Cruz introduced the bipartisan Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act following the Salt Typhoon espionage campaign against U.S. communications providers. The China-attributed operation compromised systems handling lawful-surveillance requests, targeted telecom companies and prominent political figures, and expanded globally; U.S. officials warn Beijing could retain stolen information indefinitely for future surveillance or exploitation.
The bill would require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to convene carriers, suppliers, cybersecurity experts, and relevant agencies to develop voluntary, telecom-specific practices within 18 months, aligned to existing federal risk-management frameworks. The guidance would be reviewed every two years or after significant incidents, while independent third-party assessors would offer voluntary certifications of providers’ adoption rather than impose mandatory federal requirements.
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Senators Mark Warner and Ted Cruz introduced the bipartisan Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act in response to Salt Typhoon. The bill would establish an NTIA working group to develop voluntary telecom security practices and a voluntary independent third-party certification process.
Senator Maria Cantwell said AT&T and Verizon prevented Mandiant from conducting network-security assessments she had requested, and called for the companies' chief executives to testify.
The Federal Communications Commission reversed a Biden-era measure intended to prevent unauthorized access to systems handling lawful-surveillance requests. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the agency had misinterpreted its authority and cited carriers' voluntary security improvements.
The Salt Typhoon campaign targeting major U.S. telecommunications providers was publicly disclosed. The Chinese-linked operation reportedly compromised systems handling lawful-surveillance requests, siphoned data involving U.S. presidential campaigns and candidates, and expanded beyond the United States.
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Major U.S. telecommunications providers have formed the **Communications Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (C2 ISAC)** to strengthen real-time threat sharing and collective defense after the China-linked **Salt Typhoon** campaign compromised carrier networks in the United States and abroad. The intrusions, described by Sen. Mark Warner as the worst telecom hack in U.S. history, affected multiple major providers including **AT&T, Verizon, Lumen Technologies, T-Mobile**, and others, with investigators saying the activity has been ongoing since at least 2019 and there is still no clear public evidence the threat actors have been fully removed from communications networks. Officials and reporting said the espionage campaign enabled attackers to move between telecom networks, exfiltrate large volumes of data, and in some cases listen to audio calls in real time while targeting high-value intelligence, government, and political communications. Investigators also found breaches of U.S. lawful intercept systems used for court-ordered surveillance, while a separate suspected China-linked compromise of an FBI surveillance system likely exposed phone numbers of monitored targets; the campaign has also been linked to exploitation of vulnerabilities in **Cisco** routers to gain access to telecom infrastructure.
Jun 29, 2026
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is preparing to vote on whether to repeal cybersecurity regulations that were introduced following the Salt Typhoon attacks on U.S. telecommunications providers. These Biden-era rules, enacted in early 2025, required telecom carriers to implement basic security controls to prevent unauthorized access, but are now facing reversal under the Trump administration. Industry groups have petitioned the FCC, arguing that the agency overstepped its legal authority by interpreting the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) to impose broad cybersecurity mandates, which they claim were not intended by Congress. The move to rescind these rules comes amid ongoing concerns about the security of the U.S. telecommunications sector, highlighted by the Salt Typhoon incident and subsequent calls from lawmakers for stronger, mandatory cybersecurity standards. Despite bipartisan pressure, including a Senate resolution and letters from Senators Wyden and Warner, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has not released a critical report on telecom sector vulnerabilities. The debate underscores the tension between regulatory authority, industry resistance, and the urgent need to address persistent cyber threats targeting national communications infrastructure.
Jun 29, 2026
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced plans to vote on rescinding cybersecurity regulations that were enacted in response to major breaches of U.S. telecommunications companies by Chinese state-sponsored actors, specifically the Salt Typhoon group. These regulations, introduced at the end of the Biden administration, required telecom providers to implement enhanced network security measures and submit annual certifications of their cybersecurity risk management plans. The breaches included the theft of sensitive correspondence belonging to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, prompting the initial regulatory response. FCC officials, including Chairman Brendan Carr and Secretary Marlene Dortch, argued that the existing rules were overly broad, inflexible, and imposed unnecessary burdens on telecom providers, many of whom have already adopted voluntary security measures. The FCC contends that a more targeted, collaborative approach between federal agencies and private industry would be more effective in addressing sophisticated threats like those posed by Salt Typhoon, rather than blanket regulations. The upcoming vote will determine whether these Biden-era cybersecurity requirements for telecoms will be officially rescinded.
Jun 29, 2026