China Mobile does not stand well with the FCC’s decision

Ajit Pai, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman, has long expressed his plans to reject China Mobile’s attempt to be a U.S. telecom provider. Acting on that promise, the agency has made a unanimous decision to deny the eight year old bid. The FCC’s reaction to the application was acted upon its concerns over national security. The agency even noted that the carrier did not express how its application was in public interest. Officials from the firm also expressed concern on the Chinese government’s control of the company. According to the agency, this raised law enforcement and security risks that could potentially be serious.

Pai released a statement explaining how the carrier was “vulnerable to exploitation, influence, and control” because of the ownership of the government. And with its cases involving stealing intellectual property and hacking campaigns, there is a possibility that the carrier could also do the same with American interests.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel shared that this was not helpful for national security. From the start, China Mobile’s application had been put on hold. If it was rejected, Rosenworcel believes the agency was “doing too little” to take care of network security and safety.

This decision, of course, does not come as a surprise. It’s been a few years since the existing U.S. government has been on the lookout for Chinese companies for fears of national security. They have also lobbied repeated accusations (albeit publicly unproven) against Huawei, stating that the company was a Chinese spy.