On December 9, Reuters reported that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on December 8 (local time) its intention to potentially bar the three leading Chinese telecom companies—China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom—from accessing U.S. networks. The FCC has issued a directive, requiring these three firms to address their certification discrepancies in the anti-robocall harassment database within a two-week timeframe, and has voiced apprehensions regarding their participation in the database.
Should these companies fail to present compelling evidence demonstrating that they do not constitute a threat to national security and serve the public interest, the FCC may opt to exclude them from the database. Once excluded, all relay service and voice service providers across the United States will be prohibited from directly accepting calls originating from these three Chinese telecom entities, leading to significant disruptions in cross-border communications between China and the U.S.
It's worth noting that the FCC has consistently targeted these three companies in the past. Since 2019, it has turned down China Mobile's application for operations in the U.S. and revoked the operating licenses of China Unicom and China Telecom Americas, citing national security concerns as the underlying motive.