FCC Expands National Security Role, Tightens Limits on Foreign Tech
Agency officials signal broader push into supply chain security and review of emerging technologies.
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2026 – The Federal Communications Commission is reasserting its national defense mandate under the Communications Act.
The effort, officials said Tuesday at an event marking the first anniversary of the FCC’s Council on National Security, positions the agency as a central player in efforts to secure U.S. communications networks and technology supply chains.
“The FCC was originally envisioned as very much a national security agency,” said Adam Chan, the inaugural director of the FCC’s Council on National Security, at the Hudson Institute event in Washington. “Recent actions over the last year are very much a return to the FCC’s core national security role.”
