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US Congressional Committee Investigates Chinese Wireless Carriers
China’s leading telecommunications companies are facing scrutiny from a US congressional committee seeking further insight into their operations within the United States. This investigation targets China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile, aiming to compel these carriers to address concerns regarding their connections to the Chinese government and military. With a subscriber base exceeding 1 billion as of last September, China Mobile holds the title of the largest wireless carrier globally.
US lawmakers express apprehension that the Chinese companies’ ventures in cloud computing and internet services may allow them to access sensitive personal data and intellectual property belonging to American citizens. The committee asserts it possesses evidence linking significant cyberattacks attributed to China to the operations of these carriers’ platforms in the US. In a rare move, a bipartisan group from the House of Representatives’ select committee on China has employed its subpoena powers to ensure compliance from the three firms.
The committee’s chair, Republican John Moolenaar, along with top Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, felt it necessary to escalate their demands after the carriers failed to respond to inquiries from a US Commerce Department investigation. Their disregard for these questions has now enabled the committee to enforce compliance through subpoenas.
Among the cyberattacks prompting this investigation is the Volt Typhoon attack, which the FBI claims permitted Chinese access to crucial US infrastructure, affecting telecommunications, energy, and water systems, among others. The Chinese government has refuted any involvement in this attack, with a spokesperson from its embassy stating, “We oppose the U.S. over-stretching the concept of national security, using national apparatus and long-arm jurisdiction to bring down Chinese companies.”
Despite previously being denied permission by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to offer consumer telecom services in the US, the three Chinese carriers still maintain minor operations that handle wholesale internet traffic and provide cloud services. In 2019, the FCC denied China Mobile a license, and subsequently revoked authorizations for China Telecom and China Unicom in 2021 and 2022.
A representative from the congressional committee highlighted that, even with the FCC’s ban on licensed telecommunications operations, these firms have managed to circumvent oversight by using hardware and cloud-based systems that do not require FCC approval. “The committee has received third-party private sector reporting and intelligence indicating these platforms have enabled cyber intrusions, data theft, and potential sabotage of U.S. infrastructure,” the spokesperson noted.
The Chinese wireless providers have until May 7th to comply with the committee’s requests. Failure to do so may result in contempt charges by Congress.
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