Communications Information Sharing and Analysis Center (COMM-ISAC)

The Communications Information Sharing and Analysis Center (COMM-ISAC) is essential to maintaining the continuity of communications infrastructure, a vital lifeline sector that underpins the functionality of other critical infrastructure sectors, including energy, transportation, and public health. The COMM-ISAC continuously monitors national and international incidents and events that may impact communications infrastructure, including acts of terrorism and natural disasters such as tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires. In the event of an emergency, Emergency Support Function #2 - Communications leads emergency communications response and recovery efforts under the National Response Framework, ensuring that essential communications systems remain operational. 

As much of the nation’s cyber infrastructure is integrated with communications systems, the COMM-ISAC is also a key partner in the national cybersecurity effort. By leveraging resources such as CISA Cybersecurity Advisories and the expertise of the Industrial Control Systems teams, the COMM-ISAC monitors and mitigates issues affecting both cyber and communications systems during emergencies and serves as the primary mechanism for gathering, analyzing, appropriately sanitizing and disseminating intelligence and information about vulnerabilities, threats, intrusions and anomalies between industry and government. This integrated approach ensures resilience against threats to physical and digital infrastructure, which are increasingly interconnected. 

The COMM-ISAC’s success is built on strong public-private partnerships, which have been central to its mission since its inception. Following the divestiture of AT&T in the early 1980s, the need for a centralized government-industry coordination center was recognized, leading to the establishment of the COMM-ISAC. Today, operating under Executive Order 13618, the COMM-ISAC cultivates long-standing relationships with 80 government partners and over 77 private sector communications and information technology member organizations. These partnerships foster a trusted environment to share critical information about vulnerabilities, threats, intrusions, and anomalies and are essential for maintaining National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) communications and supporting the Emergency Support Function #2 mission.