A communications control device that, if a communications failure occurs at location in a first path for communications that extends across a plurality of communications layers, selects any second path from a candidate group including at least one second path for continuing communications without going via the location where the communications failure has occurred, on the basis of the time required for each second path to switch from the first path to the second path, and sends, to a communications device for performing the switching, an instruction for switching the first path to the selected second path and continuing communications.