FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION WASHINGTON June 1 2018 OFFICE OF T HE CHAIRMAN The Honorable Frank Pallone Ranking Member Committee on Energy and Commerce U S House of Representatives 2322A Rayburn House Office Building Washington D C 20515 Dear Congressman Pallone Thank you for your letter regarding the recent reports of cell-site simulators operating in the Washington D C area I share your concern that cell-site simulators may be used unlawfully by foreign actors and continue to monitor reports of their use The Department of Homeland Security has taken the lead in assessing the potential threat from certain uses of cell-site simulators For example the Department's April 2017 Study on Mobile Device Security identified cell-site simulators as an existing and emerging threat And the Department's National Protection and Programs Directorate recently confirmed for Senator Wyden that it continues to assess the national security risks and vulnerabilities associated with cell-site simulators as well as methods to mitigate such risks The Commission stands ready to aid our federal partners at the Department of Homeland Security the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau oflnvestigation in addressing this issue If we had particularized evidence that certain devices were being unlawfully used within the United States we would of course investigate the matter alongside our federal partners and take all appropriate enforcement actions Just as with all other devices that use radio frequency spectrum cell-site simulators must meet our technical requirements for radio emissions We continue to strictly limit the distribution of such devices within the United States limiting their marketing and sale to federal state and local law enforcement officials and only after such use is coordinated in advance with the Federal Bureau oflnvestigation Here too if we had particularized evidence that certain devices were being unlawfully marketed or sold to foreign actors within the United States we would investigate the matter alongside our federal partners and take all appropriate enforcement actions Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance - Sincerely Ajit V Pai This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu