The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has designated China Mobile, China Telecom, and cybersecurity company Kaspersky as threats to national security.
These three organizations have been added to the FCC’s list of communications equipment and service providers judged to pose an unacceptable risk to national security.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel commented on the update:
“Last year, for the first time, the FCC published a list of communications equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to national security, and we have been working closely with our national security partners to review and update this list.
Today’s action is the latest in the FCC’s ongoing efforts, as part of the greater whole-of-government approach, to strengthen America’s communications networks against national security threats, including examining the foreign ownership of telecommunications companies providing service in the United States and revoking the authorization to operate where necessary.
Our work in this area continues.”
The additions were made under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, which directs the FCC to publish and maintain a list of entities that pose an “unacceptable risk” to U.S. persons and interests.
Kaspersky, the Russian cybersecurity firm, is the first non-Chinese company to be placed on the FCC’s covered list.
While the FCC did not link its decision to Russia’s recent actions abroad, it pointed to a Binding Operational Directive (BOD) issued by the Department of Homeland Security on September 11, 2017, which required certain federal agencies to remove “Kaspersky-branded products” from federal information systems.
“We interpret the BOD to be a finding from the Department of Homeland Security that Kaspersky-branded products pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States,” the FCC said in its statement.
With these additions, China Mobile, China Telecom, and Kaspersky join other firms already on the list, including Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, and surveillance companies Dahua and Hangzhou Hikvision.
The FCC’s full list of entities identified as national security threats is available on the Commission’s website.
(Photo by Muhannad Ajjan on Unsplash)
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