In a vote on Thursday, Nov. 20, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has chosen to end the telecommunications cyber rules enacted after the Salt Typhoon espionage campaign. This campaign involved the hacking of prominent telecommunications companies in the United States, stealing the metadata of many Americans. 

The commission voted 2-1 to roll back the cybersecurity rules, with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Olivia Trusty voting in favor while Anna Gomez voted in dissent. This vote comes after multiple U.S. Senators urged the commissioners against voting these cyber rules away. 

Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington encouraged the FCC to forgo rescinding this ruling, asserting that it is a “commonsense acknowledgement that providers are responsible for protecting public safety against cybersecurity threats.” Furthermore, Senator Gary Peters of Michigan expressed being “disturbed by the FCC’s effort to roll back these basic cybersecurity safeguards, which, if successful, will leave the American people exposed and erode efforts to harden our national security against attacks like these in the future.” 

The FCC argues that the previous ruling was “legally erroneous and ineffective at promoting cybersecurity.” Instead, the commission claims it is advocating for a “targeted approach to promoting effective cybersecurity productions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.”