Chinese telecom firms urge FCC not to revoke ability to operate in U.S

WASHINGTON: The U.S. units of China Telecom Corp’s and China Unicom urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) not to revoke the company’s nearly two-decade old authorization to provide international telecommunications services to and from the United States.

China Telecom (America)’s filing late Monday came after the U.S. Justice Department and other federal agencies in April asked the FCC to act, citing national security concerns in a new flashpoint between Washington and Beijing.

China Telecom (Americas), the U.S. subsidiary of a People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-owned telecommunications company, called the government’s claims “unfounded” and argued the FCC should not revoke its right to operate in the United States “based solely on foreign policy concerns in the absence of any evidence whatsoever of specific misconduct.”