US House panel flags Chinese telecom presence in US network ecosystem, warns of cyber, security risks

Washington DC [US], August 5 (ANI): Chinese state-owned telecommunications carriers have remained deeply embedded in the US internet ecosystem despite earlier federal regulatory actions over concerns of potential exploitation, influence and control by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to a new bipartisan investigation by the US House Select Committee on China.
The committee's report, titled "Stranger Pings: Chinese Telecom Companies Infiltrate U.S. Infrastructure," found that US subsidiaries of Chinese telecommunications firms were not fully independent from their parent companies in China and Hong Kong and continued to maintain connections with American communications infrastructure.
"The investigation found that Chinese state-owned carriers remained deeply embedded in the U.S. internet ecosystem long after federal regulators had already found them vulnerable to CCP exploitation, influence, and control," the Select Committee said.
The investigation examined the US operations of China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom, three Chinese state-affiliated telecommunications companies, after concerns over their role in American communications networks.
According to the report, the companies' US subsidiaries remain linked to their Chinese parent networks and supporting systems, creating potential security risks for American internet users.
The committee said that while the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had previously denied or revoked the companies' Section 214 telecommunications licences, those actions did not eliminate their existing presence, equipment or network relationships in the US.
"The FCC's actions limit what the companies can sell, but it cannot remove the companies' equipment, presence, or network relationships," the report stated.
The investigation also identified what it described as "anomalous internet routing activity" that coincided with major CCP-sponsored cyberattacks targeting US systems, raising concerns over whether the companies' remaining operations could be exploited for future cyber activities.
The report was released following a bipartisan investigation launched after the CCP-linked "Salt Typhoon" cyberattack targeting US telecommunications infrastructure.
In March 2025, the Select Committee held a hearing titled "End the Typhoons: How to Deter Beijing's Cyber Actions and Enhance America's Lackluster Cyber Defenses."
Following the hearing, the panel launched an investigation into China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom.
The committee said the three companies did not voluntarily cooperate with the investigation, after which subpoenas were issued, and bipartisan interviews were conducted with company personnel.
Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar said Chinese telecommunications subsidiaries operating in the US remained a threat due to their alleged ties with the CCP.
"US-based subsidiaries of Chinese telecommunications companies are beholden to the CCP, and they are a threat to all of us," Moolenaar 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," he added.
The committee's Ranking Member Democrat Ro Khanna said the report highlighted the need for continued oversight of China-linked telecommunications companies operating in the United States.
"This report shows the importance of continued oversight of PRC-linked telecommunications companies operating in the U.S. Particularly in light of the CCP's Typhoon 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," Khanna said.
The report recommended several measures, including expanding federal authority over foreign-controlled communications infrastructure, strengthening oversight of companies linked to foreign adversaries, improving internet routing security and providing resources for removing or mitigating infrastructure considered a national security risk.
The committee also called for entity-specific FCC Covered List determinations, funding for targeted "rip-and-replace" programmes, and mandatory logging, monitoring and recording of potentially risky infrastructure until threats are addressed.
The panel said the recommendations were aimed at identifying and restricting, and if necessary removing, foreign state-controlled network infrastructure that could pose risks to US national security. (ANI)