The head of the Federal Communications Commission expects to see increased 5G infrastructure construction soon, while worrying about the risks to privacy if such systems are hacked.
Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Jessica Rosenworcel said that the ongoing and increased deployment of 5G is not just about phones.
“We are talking about using 5G technology to lay the foundation for digital transformation around the globe,” she remarked, adding: “We are fast heading to a world where next-generation wireless networks connect everyone and everything around us.”
The FCC chair said such new technology “could have an input in everything we do—improving agriculture, education, healthcare, energy, transportation, and more. The data we derive from all these connections is powerful. It will inform machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the next generation of innovation across the economy.”
Detailing a series of initiatives recently undertaken at the FCC to guide 5G’s continued development, Rosenworcel also emphasized what she called the “big security challenges” connected to that growth. “The truth is that 5G networks connecting so much more in our lives will mean a broader attack surface for cyber events.”
Working with such agencies s the Department of Homeland Security, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rosenworcel said the FCC is tackling the cybersecurity challenge from a variety of angles.
“The FCC has long had rules that require carriers to protect the privacy and security of data, under Section 222 of the Communications Act,” she continued. But because those rules are already 15 years old, “We have started a rulemaking to bring them into the modern era.”
Rosenworcel said that as part of that process the FCC is seeking “comment on how our obligations can work,” alongside new rules coming out of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency under the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act.
By Garry Boulard
