By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday it is ordering the U.S. units of China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile to discontinue fixed or mobile broadband internet operations in the United States.
The FCC said it required Chinese carriers to discontinue services within 60 days of the effective date of the net neutrality order passed Thursday. The order also applies to Chinese telecommunications company Pacific Networks and its wholly owned subsidiary ComNet. The commission had previously banned companies from providing telecommunications services.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Thursday that the commission had evidence that Chinese telecommunications carriers were providing broadband services in the United States.
The FCC cited national security concerns in revoking or denying Chinese companies the right to provide telecommunications services in the US.
The FCC said Chinese telecommunications companies were “subject to exploitation, influence and control by the Chinese government.”
This is Washington’s latest move to clamp down on Chinese telecommunications operators, including on undersea cables that control Internet traffic.
The FCC previously banned approvals of new telecommunications equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies and ZTE and other companies, saying it poses “an unacceptable risk” to U.S. national security.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
