U.S. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden announced a new draft bill with the goal of securing American telephone networks and Americans’ communications in response to the massive hack of telecom providers allegedly done by Chinese government hackers.
In a press release on Tuesday, Wyden announced the Secure American Communications Act. The bill would order the Federal Communications Commission to “implement specific cybersecurity requirements” demanding telecom providers to perform annual tests to assess how vulnerable their networks are; hire independent auditors to make sure telcos comply with the new FCC cybersecurity rules; and submit documentation from the tests and audits and a statement from the CEO and Chief Information Security Officer saying the telecom carrier is in compliance with the FCC rules.
“Congress needs to step up and pass mandatory security rules to finally secure our telecom system against an infestation of hackers and spies,” Wyden said in the press release.
