FCC Orders China Telecom Americas Out of the United States

The Federal Communications Commission has revoked and terminated China Telecom America’s services in the U.S., citing Chinese government influence.

China Telecom America

Under Section 214 Transfer of Control, China Telecom was granted the authority to provide its services to customers in the U.S. But a bipartisan vote of 4-0 approved the order to block China Telecom within 60 days following the release of the order.

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.

According to Reuters, this investigation began in 2020, when the FCC cited national security risks. Additionally, the Department of Justice said China Telecom made “inaccurate statements to U.S. government authorities about where China Telecom stored its U.S. records, raising questions about who has access to those records.”