WASHINGTON — The United States plans to ban Chinese telecom firms from direct access to U.S. phone numbers on national security grounds, in a measure the Federal Communications Commission said is also designed to prevent scam robocalls, according to Reuters.
The FCC said on Thursday it will vote on November 19 on a proposal to ban China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, and other providers of internet-based voice services, from direct access, Reuters reported. For firms providing Voice over Internet Protocol services, direct access is a cheaper option and makes it easier to offer advanced features.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the decision would strengthen the first line of defense against bad actors and illegal robocallers. The Chinese Embassy did not immediately comment, Reuters reported. China has consistently denied wrongdoing in earlier U.S. telecom cases.
The proposal goes further than the number rule. The agency said it also plans to bar internet voice providers that use equipment from companies on its national security risk list, including Huawei and ZTE. It added that it would ban all Chinese labs from testing U.S. electronics in December 2028, and that it may revoke direct number authorizations for other Chinese companies it deems to pose national security risks. The FCC has previously barred the three Chinese carriers from providing international telecommunications services to the United States, and other measures under consideration include barring them from connecting to U.S. networks and operating data centers in the country.
The move follows years of growing concern in Washington about spying and other harms from Chinese access to U.S. telecom data and infrastructure. In late 2024, Washington said a Chinese state-sponsored group known as Salt Typhoon stole consumers’ call records and infiltrated U.S. telecom firms. The FBI said this year that threats from Salt Typhoon were still very much ongoing, according to Reuters.
What happens next is the November 19 vote. If adopted, the rule would add phone numbers to the list of U.S. telecom access points closed to the named Chinese firms, and would set up the later lab-testing ban. For the proposal details, see Reuters’ report on the FCC plan.
