Security News > 2021 > October > China Telecom booted out of USA as Feds worry it could disrupt or spy on local networks

The US Federal Communications Commission has terminated China Telecom's authority to provide communications services in the USA. In its announcement of the termination, the government agency explained the decision is necessary because the national security environment has changed in the years since 2002.

That was when China Telecom was first allowed to operate in the USA. The FCC now believes - partly based on classified advice from national security agencies - that China Telecom can "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".

Because China Telecom is state-controlled, China's government can compel the carrier to act as it sees fit, without judicial review or oversight.

China Telcom has already violated some terms of its authorizations to operate in the USA. And let's not forget that time in 2019 when China Telcom made a BGP booboo that re-routed European telco traffic through China and caused an outage.

Commissioner Brendan Carr's contribution [PDF] called for the FCC to speed the process that would prevent it from certifying Huawei equipment, and bar Chinese drone-maker DJI. China Telecom has been given 60 days to wind up its US operations.

At the time of writing, neither China Telecom nor the Chinese government appear to have commented on the news.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/10/27/china_telecom_booted_out_of/