FCC ex-Officials Wheeler, Simpson Urge More US Focus on 5G Cybersecurity

Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and ex-Public Safety Bureau Chief David Simpson argued Tuesday that policymakers should devote an “equivalent -- if not greater -- focus on the security” of 5G networks as they do on the need for the U.S. to be at the forefront of the “connected future” the technology promises. Wheeler is a Brookings Institution visiting fellow and Simpson a Virginia Tech College of Business IT professor. “To build 5G on top of a weak cybersecurity foundation is to build on sand,” they reported for Brookings. “This is not just a matter of the safety of network users, it is a matter of national security.” Wheeler made similar arguments about the need for more attention on 5G security in July (see 1907090044). The former officials urged policymakers to treat 5G security as a priority and hold companies responsible for their cyber “duty of care,” meaning their responsibility to “identify and mitigate potential harms that could result” from services. Wheeler and Simpson said the federal government should establish a new “cyber regulatory paradigm" in which there’s closer cooperation here between the public and private sectors. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in 2017 reversed a Simpson-authored white paper on communications sector cybersecurity regulation and a notice of inquiry on cybersecurity for 5G devices (see 1702060062 and 1702060059), among other moves (see 1702030070). The FCC and Commerce Department should “re-engage” with international standards-setting bodies like the 3rd Generation Partnership Project to ensure “informed third-party oversight early in the 5G industry’s design and deployment cycle in order to prioritize cyber security,” the ex-officials said.