- A coalition of 35 national organizations is urging Congress to extend a federal cybersecurity law for another 10 years.
- The law allows businesses and government agencies to share information about cyber threats.
- Rural water utilities and electric cooperatives are among the groups supporting the extension.
- The organizations warn that artificial intelligence is making cyberattacks faster and easier to carry out.
- Congress is being asked to preserve the law’s protections in the final defense spending legislation.
Thursday, November 5, 2026 — Water utilities, rural electric cooperatives, banks, manufacturers and technology companies have joined forces to urge Congress to extend a federal law that helps organizations share information about cyberattacks.
In a November 1, 2026, letter to congressional leaders, 35 national organizations urged Congress to renew the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 
for another 10 years.
The groups want Congress to include the extension in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027.
The law allows private companies to voluntarily share information about cybersecurity threats and ways to defend against them. They can also share that information with the federal government.
The organizations say the law has become an important part of the nation’s cybersecurity defenses, particularly for industries that provide essential services.
Rural Water and Electric Utilities Join the Effort.
Among the organizations signing the letter were the National Rural Water Association, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the American Public Power Association.
Their participation brings rural communities, water systems and electric utilities into a national discussion about protecting computer networks.
Other signatories included the Alliance for Critical Infrastructure, the Operational Technology Cybersecurity Coalition and the Edison Electric Institute.
The coalition also represents banking, transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, telecommunications and other major industries.
Although these organizations serve different sectors, their November 1 letter focuses on a common concern: the need to share information quickly when cybersecurity threats emerge.
How the Cybersecurity Law Works.
The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 provides a legal framework for businesses and government agencies to exchange information about potential cyberattacks.
For example, an organization might discover a suspicious computer activity pattern or a weakness that attackers are attempting to exploit.
Sharing that information can help other organizations recognize similar threats and strengthen their defenses.
Under the law, participation is voluntary.
The legislation also provides certain legal protections for organizations that share cybersecurity information. According to the coalition, those protections help remove uncertainty about the legal risks of exchanging threat information.
The organizations describe the law as a foundation of the nation’s cybersecurity efforts over the past decade.
They argue that preserving those protections will help companies and government agencies continue exchanging information about emerging threats.
Artificial Intelligence Raises New Concerns.
The coalition’s letter emphasizes the growing role of artificial intelligence in cyberattacks.
The organizations warn that advanced artificial intelligence systems can identify weaknesses in computer software and exploit them at extremely high speeds.
That can leave organizations with less time to recognize a problem and respond before an attack occurs.
Artificial intelligence tools are also making sophisticated cyberattack methods less expensive, faster, and easier to use, according to the letter.
The organizations explain that cyber threats can now spread and change in real time, making rapid information sharing increasingly important.
In their letter, the coalition states, “In this environment, the speed and breadth with which defenders share information determines whether they keep pace with adversaries.”
The groups argue that organizations need clear legal protections to share information quickly enough to respond to these developing threats.
Congress Asked to Extend Protections for 10 Years.
The coalition supports Section 1706 of House Resolution 8800, a provision that would reauthorize the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 for an additional decade.
The letter was addressed to four congressional leaders responsible for defense legislation:
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Senator Roger Wicker, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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Senator Jack Reed, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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Representative Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
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Representative Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee.
The organizations are asking lawmakers to retain the provision while reconciling the House and Senate versions of the defense authorization legislation.
The letter does not propose new cybersecurity requirements for water utilities or other organizations. Instead, it supports continuing the existing voluntary information-sharing framework and its legal protections.
The coalition describes a long-term extension as essential to national security and urges congressional leaders to preserve the provision in the final agreement.
For the rural water and electric organizations that signed the letter, the request places essential utility services alongside other major industries in the effort to maintain nationwide cybersecurity information sharing.
