The FCC is creating a new Council for National Security within the agency

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Thursday it's creating a new Council for National Security within the agency. The FCC's announcement doesn't go into much detail about what the group will do, but a list of its broader goals focuses on US competition with China, including in AI and other tech sectors.

The FCC's statement on the Council for National Security says its three-part agenda includes:

• "Reduce the American technology and telecommunications sectors’ trade and supply chain dependencies on foreign adversaries"

• "Mitigate America’s vulnerabilities to cyberattacks, espionage, and surveillance by foreign adversaries"

• "Ensure the US wins the strategic competition with China over critical technologies, such as 5G and 6G, AI, satellites and space, quantum computing, robotics and autonomous systems, and the Internet of Things"

Although the statement mentions foreign adversaries several times, it only calls out China specifically.

America in the World Consortium

The Council will include representatives from eight Bureaus and Offices within the FCC, an arrangement the agency says will foster cross-agency collaboration and information sharing. Adam Chan, who serves as the FCC's security counsel, as the director of the Council on National Security.

"Today, the country faces a persistent and constant threat from foreign adversaries, particularly the CCP," FCC Chairman Carr wrote in the agency's press release. "These bad actors are always exploring ways to breach our networks, devices and technology ecosystem. It is more important than ever that the FCC remain vigilant and protect Americans and American companies from these threats. Because these threats now cut across a range of sectors that the FCC regulates, it is important that the FCC's national security efforts pull resources from a variety of FCC organizations."

In FCC Chair Carr's thus far brief tenure the agency, has been aggressive, controversial and aligned with President Donald Trump's goals — not surprising given Carr wrote Project 2025's chapter on the agency. His moves in the first (not yet) two months of the administration have included investigating media outlets, probing Comcast over its DEI practices and seeking public opinion on which regulations the agency should "delete, delete, delete."

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