Eight major U.S. telecommunications companies launched a new nonprofit cybersecurity alliance aimed at strengthening information sharing and protecting the nation’s communications infrastructure.
AT&T, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Lumen Technologies, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Zayo announced the new Communications Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (C2 ISAC) on May 19. According to the group, the C2 ISAC builds on decades of public-private collaboration with the National Coordinating Center for Communications, which was established in 1984.
The C2 ISAC was created to address increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and methods, according to the group.
“The founding members formed C2 ISAC because no single company has full visibility into every threat or can address every risk alone,” the coalition said in a press release. “By sharing resources, expertise, and real-time intelligence, C2 ISAC helps members anticipate, identify, and respond to cyber threats more quickly and effectively.”
Chief information security officers from the eight companies will sit on the C2 ISAC’s board, and Valerie Moon, a former official at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency and the FBI’s Cyber Division, will serve as the ISAC’s inaugural executive director.
The telecom sector has been a top target for recent sophisticated attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure. In late 2024, a China-affiliated cyber group known as Salt Typhoon hit telecommunications providers and targeted top government officials, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and associates of former Vice President Kamala Harris.
The formation of the C2 ISAC comes as the Trump administration has sought to pull out of cybersecurity partnerships and amid shaky legislative support for continued programs intended to support that sharing.
“Cybersecurity threats are more sophisticated and persistent than ever,” said Rich Baich, chairperson of the C2 ISAC board, in a statement. “With Valerie Moon serving as the executive director, the C2 ISAC is well positioned to expand trusted collaboration across the communications sector and help members address emerging risks.”
Valerie Moon added in a statement that the C2 ISAC “will strengthen individual member organizations and support the resilience of the nation’s critical communications infrastructure.”
According to the group, it will begin its activities next month in June.