US Agencies Call on FCC to Bar China Telecom From Operating in US

The Epoch Times ^ | April 9, 2020 | Cathy He

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and other federal agencies on April 9 urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revoke Chinese state-owned company China Telecom’s authorization to provide international telecommunication services in the United States.

The agencies—which included the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and Commerce, among others—made this recommendation after a DOJ-led review of the company identified “substantial and unacceptable national security and law enforcement risks” surrounding China Telecom’s operations, according to a DOJ press release. China Telecom is the U.S. subsidiary of Chinese state-owned telecom firm China Telecommunications Corp.

The move comes amid heightening U.S. scrutiny over security threats posed by Chinese companies, including in the area of telecommunications. Last week, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to establish a committee that will review national security concerns arising from foreign-owned companies who wish to participate in U.S. telecommunications networks.

And last May, the administration barred Chinese telecom giant Huawei from doing business with American firms on national security grounds. U.S. officials cited concerns that the company’s equipment could be used by the Chinese regime for spying or to disrupt communication networks.

The DOJ said the latest recommendation was based on a range of concerns, including that China Telecom is “vulnerable to exploitation, influence, and control” by the Chinese regime.

It said that the nature of the company’s U.S. operations provided opportunities for Chinese state-backed actors “to engage in malicious cyber activity enabling economic espionage and disruption and misrouting of U.S. communications.”

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

(from the article):"The DOJ said the latest recommendation was based on a range of concerns, including that China Telecom is “vulnerable to exploitation, influence, and control” by the Chinese regime.
It said that the nature of the company’s U.S. operations provided opportunities for Chinese state-backed actors
“to engage in malicious cyber activity enabling economic espionage and disruption and misrouting of U.S. communications.”

Does that include U.S. cellphone companies like 'T-mobil' and Verizon who advertise that they already have 5-G ?
Is there a US alternative ?

[Fai Mao]

This should have been done long ago