Security News > 2021 > November > China Telecom's US arm sues in last-ditch bid to retain license

The US subsidiary of China Telecom has filed an emergency appeal it hopes will prevent the impending revocation of the company's license to operate in the USA, which the The US Federal Communications Commission terminated in October on grounds the carrier is a national security threat.

The FCC terminated China Telecom Americas Corporation's authority to provide telecom services within the USA on October 26, citing the telecom's potential for exploitation, influence and control by the Chinese government and other national security risks, such as the ability to access or disrupt US communication leading to espionage and other harmful activities.

While China Telecom denied it could, would, or has done anything of the sort, it did myseriously reroute European telco traffic through China in 2019 and was accused of doing similar things to US government communications in 2020.

The FCC's decision didn't make Beijing very happy, but China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology kept its objections quite mild, issuing a statement that accused the US of hiding behind the pretext of "National security" to act in an anti-competitive manner and violate international trade rules.

The US cracked down on other Chinese vendors last week on the grounds of security threats as US President Joe Biden signed The Secure Equipment Act.

The legislation prevents US regulators from even reviewing authorization applications for telecom equipment licenses on grounds thus eliminating concerns of a Beijing backdoor.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/11/16/china_telecom_us_emergency_lawsuit/