Is the FCC the Newest National Security Agency?

Join HWG LLP for a luncheon panel discussion examining the FCC’s expanding role at the intersection of communications and national security.

Under Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC is remaking itself into a frontline national security enforcer. The rules of engagement are still being written, and the industry is navigating unknown risks. This panel will explore:

  • How the FCC’s new Council on National Security is reshaping the Commission’s regulatory and enforcement priorities
  • What recent FCC enforcement actions signal about where national security enforcement is headed
  • Why any FCC action — licensing, equipment authorization, cybersecurity, foreign ownership — could now carry national security implications
  • What national security considerations the communications industry should be thinking about in an uncertain regulatory and enforcement environment

Lunch will be provided.

Reserve your seat here.

Event details:
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Time: 11:30 AM – 1 PM
Location: HWG LLP · 1919 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

Featured speakers:

Rakesh Patel (Moderator) Partner, HWG LLP
Rakesh is the former Deputy Chief of the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, where he handled some of the agency’s most complex investigations. With over 25 years of public service experience, including over a decade of running FCC investigations, he counsels clients on privacy, cybersecurity, program fraud, Know Your Customer, robocalls and texts, and regulatory compliance. Through his enforcement work at the FCC, Rakesh participated in a broad range of investigative matters across multiple portfolios, involving some of the most sensitive, lengthy, and complex enforcement investigations at the FCC.

Brett Freedman (Panelist) Senior Advisor, Government Affairs, Gray Space Strategies
Brett Freedman is a national security attorney with nearly two decades of experience across the executive and legislative branches. Most recently, he served as Chief of Staff to Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the DOJ’s National Security Division, overseeing work ranging from foreign investment and executive-branch national security reviews to counterterrorism, counterespionage, and cybersecurity. Previously, as General Counsel on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Brett supported the passage of several Intelligence Authorization Acts, contributed to cybersecurity legislation, assisted with revisions to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) process, and helped secure reauthorization of key foreign intelligence authorities. Brett currently serves as Senior Director for Emerging Technology at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT).

Umair Javed (Panelist) General Counsel and Senior Vice President, CTIA
Umair Javed is Senior Vice President and General Counsel at the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA). Previously, he served as Chief Counsel to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. At the FCC, he led the Commission’s National Security Policy Council, served as the agency’s designee on President Biden’s Competition Council, and represented the FCC at international treaty‑writing conferences. He helped create the FCC’s Spectrum Coordination Initiative, coordinated the deployment of 5G services in the C band, and oversaw the third‑highest grossing spectrum auction in FCC history.

Debra Jordan (Panelist) Former Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, FCC
Debra Jordan is a cybersecurity and national security executive with 30+ years of leadership across federal agencies, critical infrastructure sectors, and public safety.  As former Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission, she led numerous bipartisan regulatory initiatives, including the development of the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, and harmonized cybersecurity standards across critical infrastructure sectors. In 2025, Debra testified as an expert witness before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media during the hearing “Signal Under Siege:  Defending America’s Communications Networks,” addressing cyber and national-security threats to the U.S. communications sector.

Lee Licata (Panelist) Vice President, Global Technology Policy, Beacon Global Strategies
Lee Licata is a national security and technology policy leader with nearly two decades of telecommunications experience. He’s served in senior roles across the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the White House, and the Department of Homeland Security, where he led major policy, regulatory, and interagency initiatives to safeguard U.S. national and economic security. While at the DOJ, Lee led teams overseeing counterintelligence, telecom and data‑security matters, and drafted the regulations establishing the bulk data security program under Executive Order 14117. As Staff Chair for Team Telecom, he directed national security reviews of more than 300 FCC license applications involving foreign-owned carriers, subsea cables, satellites, and broadcasters.