To mitigate national security risks and curb fraudulent automated robocalls, the United States is moving forward with plans to impose strict new restrictions on major Chinese telecommunications firms. Under the proposed policy, Washington will block Chinese telecom companies from having direct access to US phone numbers and network infrastructure.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold a formal vote on November 19 to approve the final draft proposal.
On Thursday (October 29), the FCC confirmed that the vote will specifically target three state-owned Chinese giants—China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom—alongside other Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers, blocking their direct access routing to US numbers.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr stated that direct access simplifies sensitive communication data theft and illegal call routing. Beyond direct access, the FCC plans to restrict sub-contractors utilizing equipment from flagged firms like Huawei and ZTE, while aiming to disqualify all Chinese testing laboratories from certifying US electronic equipment by 2028.
Denouncing Washington’s plan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated on Friday (October 30) that “the US is over-stretching the concept of national security and abusing state power to suppress Chinese businesses.” Beijing warned that it would take necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises.
US security agencies, including the FBI, warned that the ongoing threat from China-linked hacking group ‘Salt Typhoon’—which compromised US telecom infrastructure to breach call records and customer data—remains an active national security concern.
