Chinese telecoms giants in Washington’s crosshairs as FCC weighs fresh curbs

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing a ban on Chinese telecommunications companies obtaining American telephone numbers, citing national security concerns and the need to protect domestic networks.

The proposed rules could prevent China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom and other service providers from obtaining numbers through internet-based voice services, the commission said on Thursday.

The regulator is scheduled to vote on the proposal at its November 19 meeting. The measures, it said, were intended to protect against illegal robocalls and other malicious activity while addressing national security risks linked with foreign-controlled communications networks.