Cybersecurity Policy Report, Bipartisan House Report: FCC Needs More Power to Expel Chinese Carriers From U.S., (Aug 5, 2026)

By Tom Leithauser

The FCC needs new statutory authorities to fully eliminate the threat to U.S. networks from Chinese telecom carriers beholden to the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), according to a bipartisan House report published yesterday.

The report from the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party noted that the FCC in recent years revoked the authority of leading Chinese carriers to operate in the U.S. under section 214 of the Communications Act. But the Commission lacks the power to completely purge the carriers from U.S. communications networks, it says.

“Between 2019 and 2022, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) denied or revoked the Section 214 authority of China Telecom (Americas) Corporation (CTA), China Mobile International (USA) Inc. (CMI USA), and China Unicom (Americas) Operations Limited (CUA) after finding that each company was vulnerable to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) exploitation, influence, and control,” the report notes.

“Those critical actions barred the companies from providing covered telecommunications services, but they did not require them to remove their physical presence in the U.S., terminate their network relationships, or exit the U.S. internet infrastructure ecosystem,” it states.

The report praised the FCC for issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in April that sought comment on additional ways the Commission could address the threat of Chinese carriers and other entities on the FCC’s “covered list” of companies that pose a threat to U.S. networks (CPR, May 1).

While the NPRM “explores the outer limits” of the FCC’s authority, any resulting rules would be “an incomplete fix,” according to the report. The NPRM “operates through the authorities available to the Commission,” and those authorities should be strengthened by Congress, it says.

“Congress should codify the FCC’s authority to exclude Covered List entities, and other entities subject to the jurisdiction or control of a foreign adversary, from operating under blanket Section 214 authority,” the report recommends.

“Congress should also prohibit domestic telecommunications carriers from interconnecting with Covered List entities absent affirmative FCC authorization following executive branch national security review,” it adds.

“The FCC’s actions limit what the companies can sell, but it cannot remove the companies’ equipment, presence, or network relationships. These companies remain embedded in U.S. infrastructure, creating security risks for American Internet users through their integration with Chinese parent networks and supporting systems,” the committee said in a news release.

“U.S.-based subsidiaries of Chinese telecommunications companies are beholden to the CCP, and they are a threat to all of us,” Committee Chairman John Moolenaar (R., Mich.) said.

"They make American customers promise to censor information according to the CCP’s laws, and they poison the domestic cyber infrastructure we rely on. All of this leaves us vulnerable to a new wave of state-sponsored cyberattacks from our nation’s biggest adversary. The CCP does not allow U.S. telecom companies into China. We must cut these subsidiaries out of our domestic infrastructure to protect the American people,” he said.

“This report shows the importance of continued oversight of PRC-linked telecommunications companies operating in the U.S.,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.), the committee’s ranking member.

“Particularly in light of the CCP’s Typhoon [cyber espionage] campaigns, Congress should continue to address risks to Americans’ data and ensure that the agencies responsible for securing our communications networks have the resources they need to respond to potential threats,” Rep. Khanna added.

Aside from strengthening the FCC’s authority, the report recommends broadening the jurisdiction of the interagency Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector (Team Telecom) and the Commerce Department’s power to assess threats from information and communications technology services (ICTS).

It also calls for funding for the removal and replacement of untrustworthy communications equipment from U.S. networks.

The three Chinese carriers targeted in the report didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Asked about potential U.S. bans on Chinese products and services during a news conference today, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China “firmly opposes the U.S. overstretching the concept of national security, and abusing state power to go after Chinese businesses.”

“Protectionism will not make the U.S. more competitive,” the spokesperson added. “China will continue firmly protecting our businesses’ legitimate and lawful rights and interests.”

News: FederalLegislation DataSecurity