As we start off the new year, I always like to think of things with a little bit of a “fresh start perspective.” Among the items on my list this year is a renewed focus on the cyber space.
We all know how important broadband connectivity is to our communities. Frankly, it’s nearly impossible to think about which part of our lives is not touched by the ability to connect. Yet one significant problem that comes with that access is the bad actors who sneak into broadband networks to steal users’ private information and demand a ransom payment from the network owner. While the headlines tend to be focused on the large corporate names swept up in these targeted attacks, these bad actors do not overlook small businesses.
That’s why I was glad to see the FCC recognize the importance of identifying how best to help small broadband providers protect their networks as part of its Communications, Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC). It’s also why I was especially excited to be invited to join CSRIC once again as a representative from the smaller provider community, especially given the large corporate interests that also sit around this table!
Together with other industry experts, our CSRIC working group developed a report on Recommended Best Practices to Improve Communications Supply Chain Security. At the FCC’s direction, the report looked at small- and medium-sized providers, as well as large ones, and identified some top-level cybersecurity vulnerabilities faced by these providers and offered recommendations for how to address them. The CSRIC report concluded that “small providers especially – and in turn the businesses and individuals they serve - would benefit from a three-pronged approach: (1) education, (2) financial assistance, and (3) developer incentives.”
It’s great to be a part of a dedicated group of industry experts working hard to ensure the security of our nation’s networks. NTCA believes that this area of network security for our members is critical today and will continue to be in the years to come. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, the need for our sector of the industry, with fewer resources than the nationwide providers, will be of utmost importance.