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# Cantwell Says AT&T, Verizon Blocked Salt Typhoon Inquiry
- URL: https://broadbandbreakfast.com/cantwell-says-at-t-verizon-blocked-salt-typhoon-inquiry/
- Published: 2026-02-04T16:08:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-04T22:01:33.000Z
- Description: She called for a hearing with the companies’ CEOs.
- Author: Jake Neenan
- Tags: AT&T, Cybersecurity, Maria Cantwell, Verizon, FCC, Brendan Carr, #with-siderail

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2026 – The top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee wants a hearing with the CEOs of AT&T and Verizon, claiming the companies stonewalled her efforts to get information on the Salt Typhoon cyberattacks.

“For months, I have sought specific documentation from AT&T and Verizon that would purportedly corroborate their claims that their networks are now secure from this attack,” Sen. Maria Cantwell wrote in [a Tuesday letter](https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/DA339F69-7721-4625-86AF-4551C2A83402?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com). 

“Unfortunately, both AT&T and Verizon have chosen not to cooperate, which raises serious questions about the extent to which Americans who use these networks remain exposed to unacceptable risk.”

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Cantwell said in the letter she requested information from the companies on how they responded to the hacks, in which Chinese government-backed hackers gained [sweeping access](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/cantwell-gomez-dont-want-fcc-to-repeal-cybersecurity-rule/) to U.S. telecom networks while pursuing data of government officials. She said the companies pointed to security reviews done by Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant, but refused to make them available and intervened to block Mandiant from releasing them.

“I believe this course of engagement raises serious questions about AT&T’s and Verizon’s current security posture, as they are either unwilling or unable to provide specific documentation that would show their networks are secure,” Cantwell wrote.

AT&T declined to comment. Verizon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cantwell requested that Sen. **Ted Cruz**, R-Texas, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, hold a hearing with the top executives of the two carriers. 

A spokesperson from Cruz's office did not appear receptive, saying in an email that “the Commerce Committee discussed Salt Typhoon and other cybercommunications threats in its December hearing, ‘Signal Under Siege: Defending America’s Communications Networks.’”

The Federal Communications Commission instituted new cybersecurity rules in the wake of Salt Typhoon that interpreted wiretapping laws to create a legal obligation for telecoms to secure their networks. Current FCC Chairman **Brendan Carr** [rescinded the rule](https://broadbandbreakfast.com/fcc-takes-step-toward-upper-c-band-auction/) in December, calling it “neither lawful nor effective” and opting instead for voluntary agreements with the major carriers to ​​“make extensive, coordinated efforts to harden their networks against a range of cyber intrusions.”

Cruz spoke positively of the rule change at the December hearing, and Cantwell blasted it at the time.