Communications Security Act

What this does

The bill orders the FCC to run a standing advisory council on communications network security. Within 90 days, the FCC must establish a council to advise on the security, reliability, and interoperability of communications networks, or designate an existing advisory committee for that purpose. The FCC Chair appoints the members, who serve 2-year terms. Membership must draw from communications-industry companies, public interest organizations or academic institutions, and federal, state, local, or Tribal governments, with at least one member from each type of government. The Chair may not seat industry, public interest, or academic members determined to be 'not trusted.' An entity is not trusted if the Chair publicly determines it is owned by, controlled by, or subject to the influence of a foreign adversary, or otherwise poses a threat to national security, using the criteria in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019. Every 2 years the council must submit its reports to the Chair, and the FCC must post them publicly. The council is exempt from the federal advisory committee termination rule, so it does not automatically sunset.