The trio of Chinese telecommunications companies have been operating in the US for more than two decades without proper supervision from government agencies, according to a report on Tuesday.
The bipartisan Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations found failure to respond to national security threats posed by three companies – China Telecom Americas, China Unicom Americas and ComNet USA, The Hill reports.
Since 2002, the three companies have built relationships with major US operators and established a presence throughout the country.
The Federal Communications Commission uses Team Telecom, which consists of officials in the Department of Justice, Security and Defense of the Homeland, to oversee foreign telecommunications companies, the report said.
But the Senate report noted that Team Telecom did not have the authority and legal resources to carry out that role.
He visited China Telecom Americas and ComNet USA twice in a decade and has never interacted with China Unicom Americas.
The Senate Report asked the FCC to review the three companies and make a process to revoke the authorization if necessary.
It also urges Congress to give Team Telecom the authority needed to carry out its responsibilities.
“Since the Subcommittee launched its investigation, the agencies have increased their oversight of Chinese state-owned airlines,” the report said. “The government also recently issued an executive order that established a formal committee to review national security and law enforcement risks posed by foreign operators operating in the United States.”
The report warns that because Team Telecom has limited authority, “our country, our privacy, and our information remain at risk.”
Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), chairman of the panel, said that he and Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) Of the Democratic Party on the committee, will introduce legislation to ensure federal institutions have “the necessary monitoring and enforcement tools needed. to protect our telecommunications network going forward. “
“The Chinese Communist Party uses state-owned companies to advance cyberspace and espionage efforts against the United States, and they have been exploiting our telecommunications network for almost two decades while the federal government has historically made little effort to stop it,” Portman said in a statement.
The Trump administration has issued warnings about security threats posed by telecommunications companies and how they assisted in espionage efforts for Chinese intelligence agents.
In April, the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, Defense, State and Trade recommended that the FCC remove China Telecom from its federal authorization.
The FCC chose last year to block China Mobile from the American market.
The agency also put China’s telecommunications giant, Huawei, on the “Entity List,” a blacklist of 5G equipment makers.
President Trump signed a law banning federal agents from buying equipment from Huawei because of national security concerns.
