Federal Communications Commission	FCC 26-29

STATEMENT OF
CHAIRMAN BRENDAN CARR
	
Re:	Protecting Against National Security Threats in Domestic Telecommunications Service, WC Docket No. 26-82, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Apr. 30, 2026).

Under multiple presidents and multiple FCC Chairs, the FCC has worked to counter the threats that foreign adversaries pose to our networks.  From 2019 to 2023, the FCC denied or revoked the international telecommunications authority of 5 separate entities—all controlled by foreign adversaries—and added these services to the Covered List.  These actions followed findings that their services posed unacceptable national security risks.

Nonetheless, many of these entities—and others identified on the FCC’s Covered List—continue to operate or potentially operate in the United States by providing services that do not fall under the legal definition of international telecommunications authority.  For years, I have referred to this evasion as an “End Run” around our Covered List rules.  The very first action the FCC’s Council on National Security took was to launch an investigation into Covered List entities’ continued operation in the U.S.

Today’s NPRM opens a comment period on a range of different measures we can take to close these loopholes.  Starting from the least controversial, we have proposed that Covered List entities no longer be granted blanket authority to provide domestic telecommunications services; at the very least they should have to apply to provide such services.  We also seek comment on a range of other potential measures the Commission can take to secure our networks from these bad actors, including limiting their interconnection ability. 

I would like to especially thank Commissioner Trusty for her continued leadership on national security matters and her great edits to seek comment on potentially limiting Covered List entities’ ability to operate RF device to provide communications services under our unlicensed wireless rules.  

	For their work on this item, I want to thank Joseph Calascione, Jodie Griffin, Jodie May, Melissa Kirkel, Robert Martin, Doug Klein, and Deborah Broderson.