Citing national security concerns, the Federal Communications Commission a(FCC) revoked China Telecom (Americas) Corporation’s ability to provide domestic interstate and international telecommunications services within the United States.
China Telecom Americas has been ordered to discontinue any domestic or international services that it provides pursuant to its section 214 authority within sixty days following the release of the order.
The FCC noted several reasons for its decision, including:
China Telecom Americas, a U.S. subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned enterprise, is subject to exploitation, influence, and control by the Chinese government and is highly likely to be forced to comply with Chinese government requests without sufficient legal procedures subject to independent judicial oversight.
China Telecom Americas’ ownership and control by the Chinese government raise significant national security and law enforcement risks by providing opportunities for China Telecom Americas, its parent entities, and the Chinese government to access, store, disrupt, and/or misroute U.S. communications, which in turn allow them to engage in espionage and other harmful activities against the United States.
China Telecom Americas’ conduct and representations to the Commission and other U.S. government agencies demonstrate a lack of candor, trustworthiness, and reliability that erodes the baseline level of trust that the Commission and other U.S. government agencies require of telecommunications carriers given the critical nature of the provision of telecommunications service in the United States.
