A commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has called for a new review of the undersea cables that carry nearly all of the world’s Internet data traffic, including those connecting the U.S. and China. The U.S. has repeatedly raised concerns about China’s role in handling network traffic and potential espionage activities.
Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Geoffrey Starks told a meeting of the commission on Wednesday (Sept. 30) that the United States must take a closer look at cables landing in “adversary countries.
“This includes four existing submarine cables connecting the U.S. and China, most of which are partially owned by Chinese state-owned enterprises,” Starks said.
The U.S. has repeatedly raised concerns about China’s role in handling network traffic, as well as potential espionage. Some 300 undersea cables form the backbone of the Internet, carrying 99 percent of the world’s data traffic.
The FCC “must ensure that adversary nations and other hostile actors cannot tamper with, block, or intercept the communications they carry,” Starks said.
The FCC in April approved a request by Alphabet subsidiary Google to use part of the U.S.-Asia submarine communications cable, but not the cable to Hong Kong, after U.S. authorities raised national security concerns.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in April that permitting a cable connection between the U.S. and Hong Kong would seriously endanger U.S. national security and pose significant risks. The U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Defense have also endorsed this view.
Google has agreed to operate part of the 8,000-mile Pacific Ocean cable network system between the U.S. and Taiwan, but not to Hong Kong. Google and Facebook helped pay for the completed cable link to Hong Kong, but U.S. regulators have banned use of the cable.
In June of this year, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement that establishing a fiber optic cable connection to Hong Kong would result in the collection of U.S. communications information by the People’s Republic of China. The statement also referred to the Chinese government’s infringement of Hong Kong’s autonomy over the past year, and indicated that Beijing authorities may openly conduct intelligence gathering in Hong Kong in the future.
On June 30 of this year, Beijing enforced the National Security Law in Hong Kong. The U.S. argues that the law violates Hong Kong’s freedom and autonomy, and ends the special treatment the U.S. has granted Hong Kong.
Google and Facebook dropped their proposal to use part of the Hong Kong cable in August of this year. A Facebook subsidiary has sought FCC approval to use a portion of the cable connecting the Philippines to the United States.
As Starks mentioned at the meeting, Facebook, Amazon and China Mobile withdrew their applications on Sept. 10 to connect San Francisco and Hong Kong as part of the Bay to Bay Express cable system.
The companies told the FCC that they would try to get permission for a “reconfigured system” that would be acceptable to the Trump administration.
“The concern is not just the landing sites for the fiber optic cables, but also who owns and operates them,” Stacks added.
In April, the FCC rejected an application by China’s state-owned telecommunications company, China Mobile, for a license to operate in the United States. The commission also said it may shut down the U.S. operations of three other Chinese state-owned telcos because of national security risks. The companies are China Telecom Americas, China Unicom Americas, and PacificNet Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Xintong Telecom (USA).
Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, declined Wednesday to say when the commission might take the action.
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