The interior evaluation, which has not been beforehand reported or publicly introduced, was launched this week by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, in keeping with an individual accustomed to the matter.
It follows mounting scrutiny of Russian-backed programming on US airwaves, social media and different channels because the warfare in Ukraine unfolds. It additionally comes as President Joe Biden on Thursday introduced a spread of latest sanctions in opposition to Russia.
Performed collectively with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Safety, the FCC evaluation covers extra than simply media entities regulated by the FCC’s broadcast licensing program, the particular person mentioned. It additionally covers an enormous array of telecommunications and infrastructure corporations, together with wi-fi suppliers, submarine cable operators and overseas telecom companies that join US-international telephone calls, the particular person mentioned.
DHS declined to remark. DOJ did not instantly reply to a request for remark.
It’s not but clear what number of corporations with ties to Russia the evaluation might uncover, the particular person mentioned, describing the initiative as a “top-to-bottom” effort to “establish the universe of licensees which have Russian possession that needs to be on our radar.”
Any Russian-owned corporations the FCC identifies as potential safety dangers to the USA may face more durable scrutiny from regulators, together with the potential threat of being ejected from the US market.
The probe is predicted to collect data from web service suppliers and different trade gamers in regards to the present safety of web visitors routing, with a doable eye towards future federal rules.
Below regular circumstances, when an web person seeks to entry a web site, the requested content material will get cut up up and routed by a number of environment friendly paths earlier than reaching the recipient. However lately, safety specialists have more and more warned of assaults that “hijack” a number of of these routes for hackers’ personal functions, enabling them to route web customers to malicious, fraudulent websites as a substitute of their meant vacation spot.