Federal Agencies Want FCC to Revoke China Telecom Licenses

Several federal agencies told the FCC because of past offenses and potential national security threats, it should revoke China Telecom’s common carrier licenses. China is owned by the Chinese government, and does business in the U.S. in part as a reseller of mobile services to people and institutions with ties to China.

The Department of Justice led the review of China Telecom’s authorizations, which also included the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. It based the recommendation on developments since the authorizations were last transferred in 2007, including China Telecom’s failure to comply with the terms of an existing agreement with the DOJ. In its recommendation, the Executive Branch agencies identified what they said were substantial and unacceptable national security and law enforcement risks associated with China Telecom’s operations. They said those render the FCC authorizations inconsistent with the public interest.

More specifically the recommendation was based on: Continue Reading