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On July 22, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology convened a hearing on Protecting Communications Networks and Improving Connectivity. The hearing examined a wide range of communications and technology policy issues, including artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity, uncrewed aircraft systems, rural broadband deployment, and illegal robocalls. Wiley partner Kevin Rupy also testified at the hearing, addressing illegal robocalls and fraud.
The hearing’s discussion of AI and cybersecurity for communications networks highlighted how Congress is focused on balancing the benefits of AI with potential risks. The witness designated to discuss these issues was Lindsay Gorman, former White House technology advisor. Below, we highlight key areas of congressional focus on AI’s impact on communications networks and summarize the major themes from Gorman’s testimony on AI and cybersecurity.
Innovators are working with government in venues like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and its Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) to develop risk management frameworks and tools to address rapidly changing technology in a less regulatory manner. The White House is rapidly developing and releasing AI policy initiatives, including Executive Orders, which Wiley analyzed recently, and the announcement of its Gold Eagle initiative to coordinate the sharing of vulnerability information. The policy and regulatory landscape is rapidly shifting, including in Congress – with effects on the labs and AI developers as well as on organizations that may seek access to models, platforms, and security information.
Key Congressional Concerns
Modernizing Cybersecurity for AI-Enabled Threats. Members’ questions reflected a broad and bipartisan concern that AI is changing both the threat profile and defensive needs of communications networks. A recurring focus was how critical infrastructure operators should respond as AI-enabled threats become more sophisticated, including whether stronger requirements are needed for continuous monitoring, incident reporting, threat detection, vulnerability management, and patching. In addition to concerns about risks in the development of AI, members asked about how AI can be used proactively to identify vulnerabilities, detect malicious activity, and help prevent cyberattacks.
Balancing AI Security with U.S. Competitiveness. Members also explored how to balance potential AI safeguards with continued U.S. leadership in AI development and deployment. Several questions focused on open-source and open-weight models, including the growing availability of models developed by Chinese companies. The discussion focused on encouraging open innovation while ensuring that policymakers, network operators, and users can assess the provenance, integrity, and security of the models and code on which they rely. Members also examined how U.S.-developed AI tools can remain affordable, globally competitive, and attractive to allies and partners.
Coordinating Communications, National Security, and Connectivity Policy. Other members tied the AI discussion to broader communications policy priorities such as whether the FCC should work more closely with national security agencies when making decisions regarding the agency’s Covered List and how to ensure reliable connectivity nationwide, through programs such as the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, so that all communities can access AI-enabled tools and services.
Key Themes from Expert Testimony on AI and Cybersecurity
Gorman’s testimony identified two intersecting risks: (1) the rapidly expanding cybersecurity risks created by AI, and (2) the loss of U.S. leadership in AI amid growing competition from China. She emphasized that generative AI has fundamentally changed the threat landscape, creating new vulnerabilities across communications networks while also becoming a central arena for geopolitical and economic competition.
AI is Expanding the Cyberattack Surface. A central theme of Gorman’s testimony was that AI is expanding the cyberattack surface and may shift the balance in favor of attackers. She highlighted AI systems’ growing ability to conduct sophisticated cyber operations autonomously and warned that AI models and agents introduce new vulnerabilities, including prompt-injection attacks, data poisoning, model theft, and exploitation of autonomous AI agents. Looking ahead, she cautioned that the development of “world models” and physical AI systems will require unprecedented amounts of real-world data, creating additional security, privacy, and network protection challenges.
AI Security is a Strategic Competition Issue. Gorman also urged Congress to view AI policy through the lens of strategic competition with China. Although the United States continues to lead in frontier AI, she warned that Chinese firms are advancing rapidly and using open-weight AI models to expand global adoption and influence. Her testimony emphasized the need to strengthen the foundations of the U.S. AI ecosystem, including open-source infrastructure and innovation, while keeping cybersecurity and national security considerations at the center of policymaking.
Future of Communications Networks and Security Standards. Gorman’s testimony noted that the next generation of telecommunications networks should leverage AI to automate defenses and should implement post-quantum cryptography. Gorman added later in the hearing that the cybersecurity standards for AI need to be mandated by Congress to ensure proper security.
Takeaways
As AI capabilities advance and become more deeply woven into critical infrastructure, Congress is increasingly considering whether legislation and governance may be appropriate. That momentum was evident throughout the hearing, where several subcommittee members spotlighted their own pending AI bills, which represented just a small sample of the many AI- and cybersecurity-related bills introduced this session.
Wiley’s Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity practices counsel clients on compliance and risk management and regulatory and policy approaches to AI and cybersecurity issues, and we engage with key government and industry stakeholders in this quickly moving area. Please reach out to the authors with any questions.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
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