Background

The CSCC was established in 2005 to represent the Communications Sector, as the principal entity for coordinating with the government in implementing the National Infrastructure Protection Plan’s (NIPP) Communications Sector-Specific Plan.

The CSCC works closely with the Communications Government Coordinating Council (CGCC) on a wide range of CIKR protection activities and issues and sets the security goals for the sector as prescribed in the NIPP Risk Management Framework (see Figure 1). The sector identifies assets, systems, networks and functions for protection, assesses risks, consequences, vulnerabilities and threats, prioritizes those risks, implements protective programs, and adopts guidelines to measure the effectiveness of those programs in order to provide continuous improvement to enhance the protection of the national communications CIKR.

Figure 1: NIPP Risk Management Framework

In conjunction with the public sector, the CSCC partners with the National Coordinating Center (NCC) and the Communications Information Sharing and Analysis Center (C-ISAC) – the operational arms of the communications sector – to protect the critical communications infrastructure and key resources of the United States. The NCC serves as a joint mechanism to coordinate the initiation and restoration of national security and emergency preparedness telecommunications services. This organization’s unique industry – government partnership advances collaboration on operational issues on a 24 X 7 basis and coordinates NS/EP responses in times of crisis. Since 2000, the NCC’s Communications Information Sharing and Analysis Center (C-ISAC), comprised of 51 industry member companies, has facilitated the exchange of information among government and industry participants regarding vulnerabilities, threats, intrusions and anomalies affecting the telecommunications infrastructure.

The CSCC also engages with the public sector through the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC), which provides the legal framework for members of industry and the government to engage in joint CIKR protection-related activities. Through the CIPAC, the CSCC addresses activities including planning, coordination, implementation of security programs, and other activities related to CIKR protection.