WASHINGTON, D.C. – In his opening statement at today’s Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media hearing titled “Signal Under Siege: Defending America’s Communications Networks”, Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) warned that U.S. adversaries are increasingly harnessing cyberattacks to steal intellectual property, gather intelligence, and disrupt essential services. With the rise of AI-empowered attacks, he stressed lawmakers must work to secure communications infrastructure without creating excessive regulations that hinder innovation.

Sen. Cruz encourages stronger collaboration between the government and the private sector to help communications networks stay ahead of cyberattacks, not just respond to them. 

Here are Sen. Cruz’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

“Thank you, Chairman Fischer, for holding this hearing.  We have a distinguished panel before us and I want to thank each of our witnesses for being here to share their expertise. 

“In our digital age, communications networks form the cornerstone of our economy and our national security.  That makes them a top target not only for criminals seeking financial gain, but also for our adversaries.

“America’s enemies have learned they don’t need to launch missiles or deploy troops to harm the United States.  Instead, they can use teams of skilled and well-resourced cyber hackers to steal our intellectual property, gather intelligence, and hide within critical infrastructure to disrupt essential services, all while maintaining plausible deniability. 

“2025 has been a pivotal year in network security, marked by the rise of AI-empowered attacks and defenses, alongside persistent risks ranging from infrastructure sabotage to increased supply chain vulnerabilities.  Incidents such as Salt Typhoon and the SIM farms recently discovered near the United Nations headquarters in New York have served as sobering reminders of how relentless and creative our adversaries continue to be.

“Unfortunately, there is no single, silver-bullet solution to address cybersecurity.  Protecting America’s communications networks is a complex undertaking that demands continued vigilance and cannot be reduced to rote box-ticking.

“The United States is a primary target for cyber threats precisely because we lead the world in technological innovation.  Our challenge, therefore, is to secure communications infrastructure effectively without creating excessive and useless regulation that stifles the very innovation that gives us our competitive edge. 

“That is why I commend FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for moving last month to rescind the Biden administration’s misguided January 2025 Declaratory Ruling, which tried to shoehorn new cybersecurity mandates into a 1994 law about cooperating with law enforcement.  Chairman Carr’s decision to shift away from ineffective and burdensome requirements is consistent with both the Commission’s legal authority and sound policy.  

“Federal agencies cannot regulate their way into creating perfect network security and attempts to do so will backfire.  Forcing telecom carriers to chase the false security of compliance checklists instead of engaging real-world threats diverts resources away from the necessary partnerships and response capabilities that actually stop intrusions. 

“Worse still, the legal risks these compliance regimes impose have a chilling effect, as armies of lawyers focus on avoiding lawsuits and regulatory penalties instead of information-sharing and collaboration when every moment counts. 

“To meet these evolving threats, the federal government must incentivize genuine cooperation so that communications networks can focus on anticipating the next attack, not just responding to the last one.

“This needed foresight and agility doesn’t come from imposing outdated checklists and top-down regulations.  It arises from a strong partnership between the private sector and government, working together to detect and deter attacks in real time. 

“I am proud of this committee’s progress toward strengthening network security, but much work remains.  Our efforts show that success is possible.  With full funding now secured, the Rip and Replace program is removing the remaining Huawei and ZTE equipment from our networks.

“GPS offers another example: when threats to our positioning and timing capabilities were identified, we acted decisively by passing the National Timing Resilience and Security Act to establish backup systems.  Now, alternative and complementary positioning, navigation, and timing systems are in development, with NTIA recently identifying at least 50 companies attempting to increase our resilience and complement this critical system.

“Today’s hearing is an opportunity to assess the current threat landscape, identify where our defenses fall short, and explore how the federal government and the private sector together can better protect America’s communications infrastructure from both foreign and domestic threats.  I look forward to a productive exchange.”

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