The Federal Communications Commission has announced plans to re-charter the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council, or CSRIC, for a new two-year term and is soliciting nominations for membership.
In a public notice published Monday, the FCC said it intends to re-charter the advisory committee on or before March 26, following consultation with the General Services Administration. The re-chartered body will represent the commission’s tenth CSRIC charter, CSRIC X, with the first meeting expected in June.
Nominations for CSRIC X membership must be submitted no later than March 11.
What Is the Purpose of CSRIC?
According to the FCC, CSRIC is a federal advisory committee that offers recommendations to the commission to improve the security and reliability of U.S. communications infrastructure.
The council’s work focuses on public safety and homeland security-related issues, including the security and reliability of communications networks, 911 and Next Generation 911 systems, emergency alerting, and national security and emergency preparedness communications.
The FCC said CSRIC X will be authorized to form informal subcommittees or subgroups to support its work, with those groups reporting recommendations to the full council.
What Topics Will CSRIC X Address?
According to the notice, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr will ask CSRIC X to address six topics: the national security implications of the dark fiber market; submarine cable security and resilience; malicious SIM farm mitigation; reduction of common causes of sunny day outages; communications network security enhancement; and expansion of Next Generation 911 multimedia availability and 911 accessibility.
Who Is Eligible to Serve on CSRIC X?
The FCC said it is seeking nominations from a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives from federal agencies, state and local government organizations, communications service providers, technology developers, and consumer advocacy and community groups.
The agency said it is particularly interested in receiving nominations from organizations with expertise in public safety, emergency management and homeland security.
Council members will serve at the discretion of the FCC chairman and will not be compensated. Members will also be expected to participate in at least one informal subcommittee or subgroup.
The FCC said all nominees will be subject to an ethics review conducted by the agency’s Office of General Counsel. Some members appointed in an individual capacity may be classified as Special Government Employees and would be ineligible to serve if they are federally registered lobbyists.
In 2024, the commission announced the members of the CSRIC’s ninth charter.
