# 119-s-5508: Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act

119-s-5508, Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] (D-VA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5508
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5508
- Congress: 119
- Title: Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] (D-VA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-17

## Summary

**Voluntary industry-led cybersecurity standards and third‑party certification for the telecommunications sector.** This bill would create an NTIA-hosted public–private Working Group to develop risk‑based Industry Best Practices and a network of independent assessors to certify telecom carriers and supply‑chain participants.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX), 2026-09-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Voluntary telecom cybersecurity practices: benefit, medium. If enacted, a federal working group would publish voluntary, risk-based telecom cybersecurity best practices within 18 months. The practices would be posted on NTIA’s website and updated at least every 2 years. The guidance could list examples like security updates, decommissioning unsupported devi…
- Protections for employees who report problems: benefit, low. If enacted, employees of eligible cybersecurity assessors and telecom carriers with approved or pending certification would be protected from firing or other retaliation for lawfully helping an investigation. The protection covers reports the employee reasonably believes show non-compliance or fals…
- Certification, assessors, and legal rules: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a voluntary third-party certification system and criteria for independent assessors. The Assistant Secretary would approve assessors, publish designated lists, and could bar companies owned by carriers from being assessors. Certification submissions must be checked…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-278: Kids Off Social Media Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-5508 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5508)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-278: Kids Off Social Media Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-278)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5508 (as of 2026-10-17).