The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced a sweeping investigation into the continued operations of several China-affiliated entities that have been flagged as national security risks.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr disclosed that the agency has taken this step as part of its new Council on National Security within the FCC, which was established last week to strengthen oversight of foreign threats to U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.
The investigation targets companies previously placed on the FCC’s Covered List, which includes firms such as Huawei, ZTE, China Telecom, and others. These entities were originally flagged for their potential to compromise national security. However, despite FCC restrictions, some may still be conducting business in the U.S. through private or unregulated channels.
To assess the scope of these ongoing operations, the FCC has issued Letters of Inquiry and at least one subpoena to the targeted companies. The agency is actively gathering information to determine if additional regulatory actions are needed to prevent unauthorized business activities that could endanger American networks.
Chairman Carr emphasized the urgency of this initiative, stating, “The FCC has taken concrete actions to address the threats posed by Huawei, ZTE, China Telecom, and many other entities that pose an unacceptable risk to America’s national security, including by doing Communist China’s bidding,” Chairman Carr stated. “To safeguard our networks, the FCC has placed those CCP-aligned entities on our Covered List, and we have revoked many of the FCC authorizations that they had been operating under.