America Moves to Cut Chinese Telecom Giants Out of Its Digital Infrastructure

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The U.S. communications regulator is preparing its most sweeping action yet against Chinese tech firms — potentially shutting them out of American data centers and internet exchange points entirely.

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Washington Targets the Last Loopholes

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — the government agency that oversees American communications networks — has announced it may block three of China's largest state-owned telecom companies from operating data centers on U.S. soil. The targets are China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, all of which are controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The FCC has tentatively concluded it should prohibit U.S. and other telecommunications carriers operating in the country from interconnecting with these companies, which appear on the agency's so-called "Covered List" — a register of foreign firms deemed national security threats.

A vote on the proposal is scheduled for April 30, 2026.

What the Proposed Ban Would Actually Do

The new measures go further than anything the FCC has previously attempted. In practical terms, they would:

Cut off data center access: The FCC is considering prohibiting Chinese telecom firms that own data centers or so-called "Points of Presence" — connection hubs at major internet exchange points — from linking up with other companies inside the United States.

Sever network connections: Any American telecom carrier could be banned from routing traffic through networks that use equipment from blacklisted Chinese hardware makers, including Huawei and ZTE.

Extend to affiliates: The agency is also considering extending the service ban to some affiliated companies of those already on the national security list.

This matters because while the FCC had previously stripped these companies of their licenses to offer telephone or broadband services in the U.S., they could still legally operate data centers — physical facilities that store and process internet traffic. That gap is now in the crosshairs.

A Decade of Escalating Restrictions

The current crackdown is the latest step in a years-long effort to push Chinese state-controlled companies out of American communications infrastructure:

• 2019: The FCC rejected China Mobile's bid to provide U.S. telecommunications services.
• 2021–2022: The commission barred China Unicom and China Telecom's U.S. subsidiaries from offering telephone services, citing risks that Chinese government ownership could enable Beijing to access, store, disrupt, or reroute American communications.
• 2024: The FCC ordered the U.S. units of China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile to discontinue fixed and mobile broadband services within 60 days.
• October 2025: The FCC moved to revoke the operating rights of HKT, a major Hong Kong carrier and subsidiary of PCCW — itself partially owned by China Unicom — citing ongoing national security concerns.
• December 2025: The FCC warned that it might remove China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom from its robocall mitigation database — a move that would force all U.S. voice providers to stop accepting calls directly from those carriers.

Closing Loopholes — By Force

A key concern driving the new proposals is that blacklisted companies have continued to operate in America through unofficial channels. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has alleged that some companies on the Covered List are attempting to circumvent existing bans by continuing business in the U.S. on a private or "unregulated" basis, prompting the agency to send letters of inquiry and at least one subpoena.

The broader crackdown sits within a Trump administration posture that extends well beyond the FCC. The White House is reportedly considering widening restrictions on Chinese equipment to cover critical infrastructure categories, including telecom networks, internet equipment, and data centers.

Labs, Drones, and Routers — The Scope Keeps Growing

The April 30 vote will cover more than just telecom carriers. The FCC is simultaneously moving on several other fronts:

Testing laboratories: The agency is set to vote on banning all Chinese laboratories from certifying electronics — including smartphones, cameras, and computers — for the American market. Roughly 75 percent of electronics globally are tested in Chinese facilities, meaning manufacturers worldwide would need to find alternative certification pathways.

Drones: In December 2025, the FCC updated its Covered List to include foreign drones and critical drone components.

Home routers: In March 2026, following an interagency national security determination, the FCC added foreign-produced consumer routers to its Covered List — the devices that connect home computers, phones, and smart gadgets to the internet. The determination cited recent cyberattacks on U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, including the so-called Salt Typhoon campaign, attributed to Chinese state-linked hackers.

Beijing Pushes Back — Without Success

China's government has rejected the FCC's reasoning at every turn. The Chinese Embassy in Washington stated that Beijing "consistently opposes the overstretching of the concept of national security and the abuse of state power to suppress Chinese enterprises."

That argument has found little traction in Washington. The FCC has continued expanding its actions under both Democratic and Republican administrations — a rare area of bipartisan consensus in an otherwise divided political environment.

What Comes Next

The April 30 FCC meeting will mark an important milestone, but not a final one. Proposals voted on that day would still require a full rulemaking process before becoming enforceable regulations. That means affected companies — and the broader tech industry — will have time to respond and lobby.

What is already clear is the direction of travel. The FCC's expanding campaign aims to close loopholes that have allowed Chinese technology to remain embedded in American networks — potentially making it impossible for any Chinese-linked tech to be deployed, even through resellers or subsidiaries.

For China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, the writing on the wall is becoming harder to ignore with every vote.

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Sources

1. Reuters / Yahoo News – FCC considers new crackdown on Chinese telecom companies (April 9, 2026): https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/us-considers-crackdown-chinese-telecom-205748300.html
2. South China Morning Post – FCC may bar Chinese telecoms from U.S. networks (December 2025): https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335666/federal-communications-agency-may-bar-chinese-telecoms-firms-us-networks
3. CyberScoop – FCC Chairman Carr alleges Chinese companies making 'end run' around bans (March 2025): https://cyberscoop.com/fcc-china-investigation-telecoms-equipment-secure-networks-act/
4. IBTimes SG – FCC vote April 30 to ban all Chinese labs from testing U.S. electronics (April 2026): https://www.ibtimes.sg/fcc-vote-april-30-ban-all-chinese-labs-testing-us-electronics-85174
5. Davis Wright Tremaine – FCC Bans New Foreign-Made Consumer Routers (April 2026): https://www.dwt.com/blogs/broadband-advisor/2026/04/fcc-bans-new-foreign-made-consumer-routers
6. Fierce Network – FCC bars Chinese carriers from offering broadband services in U.S. (May 2024): https://www.fierce-network.com/broadband/fcc-bars-chinese-carriers-offering-broadband-services-us
7. FCC Official Covered List: https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist

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