Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel is moving to re-establish an advisory council to look at how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can help bolster the integrity of telecommunication networks, as well as review potential security risks for 6G networks and next-generation 911 (NG911) communications.

Rosenworcel this week released a public notice stating plans to assemble the next iteration of the Communications, Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC). This federal advisory committee is commissioned by the FCC to provide recommendations toward improving the security, reliability and interoperability of U.S. communication networks.

This latest iteration would be the ninth CSRIC, thus dubbed “CSRIC IX,” and will be co-chaired by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Rosenworcel’s public notice seeks nominations to the council, which is scheduled to be put in place before March 30 and will run for two years.

This latest council will be tasked with looking at how AI and ML policies or programs “can be developed or leveraged to enhance the confidentiality, integrity and availability of communications networks in a nondiscriminatory, transparent and socially responsible way.” Rosenworcel is also looking for recommendations on ensuring the reliability of NG911 calls across all network types and “a plan to address security and reliability risks unique to emerging 6G networks and services.”

“The FCC is continuing our work with our federal partners and the private sector to bolster the security and resiliency of the nation’s communications networks and I am pleased that CISA has agreed to again co-chair the Communications, Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council,” Rosenworcel noted in a statement. “CSRIC is one of our key venues for tackling these complex issues, which is why I am once again re-establishing CSRIC and charging it with developing plans to address the communications security challenges of tomorrow, setting a path for a more secure and innovative future.”

Work on 6G network standards is not expected to begin for several years. However, the telecom industry has stated that AI and ML will be important management tools for those networks.

Chris Sambar, EVP for technology at AT&T, during a keynote speech at the recent Brooklyn 6G Summit, used an example of wanting the network to know where a particular high-value customer was located at all times and using AI and ML to make sure that their device or devices always had a strong connection.

“I think that with artificial intelligence and advanced machine learning in 6G networks we can make that happen,” Sambar said.

The previous two-year CSRIC wrapped in June, and included council leadership from CISA and Verizon. It was primarily focused on 5G security issues following attacks originating in cloud and software stacks, and included working groups tied to 5G signaling protocols, open radio access networks (RAN) and emergency 911 services.

Rosenworcel earlier this year threw government support behind open RAN as a way to provide operators with greater access to more secure networking equipment. This was pointedly focused on avoiding RAN equipment from China-based vendors like Huawei and ZTE.

The CSRIC is separate from President Joe Biden’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), which also runs under CISA. The NSTAC is – similar to CSRIC – tasked with providing the government with advice for securing and maintaining the operational integrity of the nation’s telecommunications networks.

CISA also worked with the National Security Agency (NSA) to co-publish a 5G network slicing security guide that provides recommendations toward combating identified threats to 5G standalone (SA) network slicing architectures. The recommendations included ensuring controls implemented by the 5G system cannot be bypassed using direct access to cloud resources, ensuring that necessary network connections between the components of the 5G system are established and permit no other connections, and protecting data storage used by the 5G system from access, tampering or deletion by any unauthorized parties.