FCC rejects China Mobile’s license application

After a very lengthy review period, the FCC voted to deny an application from China Mobile to provide telecommunication services between the United States and foreign destinations.

The FCC said it thoroughly examined the application and found it to be not in the public interest due to several factors related to China Mobile USA’s ownership and control by the Chinese government. The FCC further stated that a grant of the application would raise substantial and serious national security and law enforcement risks that cannot be addressed through a mitigation agreement between China Mobile and the federal government.

Ajit Pai, FCC Chairman, stated: “Simply put, granting China Mobile’s application would not be in the public interest. China Mobile ultimately is owned and controlled by the Chinese government. That makes it vulnerable to exploitation, influence, and control by that government. And in the current security environment, which features Chinese government involvement in computer intrusions and economic espionage, there is a significant risk that the Chinese government would use China Mobile to conduct activities that would seriously jeopardize the national security, law enforcement, and economic interests of the United States.”

https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-denies-china-mobile-telecom-services-application

• China Mobile’s application was filed in 2011.