By David Shepardson and Diane Bartz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday voted to revoke the authorization for China Unicom’s U.S. unit to operate in the United States.
The 4-0 vote to revoke the authority that had been granted about 20 years ago is the latest move by the U.S. regulator to bar Chinese telecommunications carriers from the United States because of national security concerns.
The order requires China Unicom Americas to end domestic interstate and international telecommunications services in the United States within 60 days of the order’s publication.
China Unicom and the Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said China Unicom “can continue to offer data center services to American consumers” despite the revocation.
He said the FCC and Congress should examine this issue and determine if the commission needed broader authority to address security concerns posed by the centers.
The FCC began making efforts in March to revoke the authorization for China Unicom Americas, Pacific Networks and its wholly owned subsidiary ComNet.
In October, the FCC revoked the U.S. authorization for China Telecom (Americas), saying it “is subject to exploitation, influence and control by the Chinese government.” The Chinese failed to win an appeal against the decision.
In 2019, the FCC rejected China Mobile Ltd’s bid to provide U.S. telecommunications services, citing security risks.
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Diane Bartz; Editing by Edmund Blair and Mark Porter)
