Team Telecom

FIRS manages the Attorney General’s responsibilities as chair of the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Services Sector, known as Team Telecom. Formalized by Executive Order 13913 in 2020, Team Telecom reviews certain Federal Communications Commission (FCC) applications and licenses for national-security and law-enforcement risks. Based on its assessment, Team Telecom may advise the FCC that (1) granting the application or license does not raise national-security or law-enforcement risks; (2) the application or license should be granted subject to conditions to mitigate any identified national-security or law-enforcement risk; or (3) the application or license should be denied, revoked, or terminated. Team Telecom may also re-review existing FCC licenses to assess whether new or additional national-security and law-enforcement risks exist, and to address material noncompliance with any mitigation measures.

The members of Team Telecom are the Departments of Justice, Defense, and Homeland Security. Team Telecom’s advisors include the Secretaries of States, Treasury, and Commerce; the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; the U.S. Trade Representative; the Director of National Intelligence; the Administrator of the General Services Administration; the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and certain Assistants to the President.

Additional resources:

• Frequently Asked Questions about Team Telecom
• FCC’s final rule, Process Reform for Executive Branch Review of Certain Applications and Petitions Involving Foreign Ownership (December 2, 2021)