back to article US threatens to turf out four Chinese telcos amid concerns over national security... and COVID-19, doctors, schools, jobs, communists, etc

America's communications watchdog will ban four Chinese telcos from operating in the Land of the Free from next month, citing a vague national security threat. The FCC was reacting to pressure from the White House and Department of Justice, which has embarked on an anti-China campaign that appears to be largely political in …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    government involvement in computer intrusions and attacks

    So no American mobile phones, operating systems, or privacy violating ad-slingers are going to be allowed by any other country.

    1. Brad Ackerman

      Re: government involvement in computer intrusions and attacks

      This is just doing to China what China does to everyone else; they don't allow foreign carriers to operate outside of HK.

      1. Yes Me Silver badge
        Unhappy

        Re: government involvement in computer intrusions and attacks

        "they don't allow foreign carriers to operate outside of HK."

        It's (theoretically) a Communist country, remember? What else do you expect?

        The USA is (theoretically) a capitalist country with strong anti-trust laws. That means they should be allowing free competition regardless of ownership of a company.

        So, it's the United States of Trump which is the hypocrite here. Just part of the trade war (which they've already lost, by the way).

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    it's all about November 2020

    This, and Trump's immigration initiatives, are red meat for his base.

    Good article in the Guardian: "Trump plots new election strategy: tie Biden to China – and attack them both"

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/27/joe-biden-trump-coronavirus-politics-pandemic

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: it's all about November 2020

      Down vote for quoting the guardian

  3. Martin 63
    Big Brother

    Pot meet kettle

    Can't the US force US companies to hand over things like data without government ownership?

    1. big_D Silver badge

      Re: Pot meet kettle

      Yes, National Security Letters - and then the companies involved can't even report that they had to hand over the data, without their execs landing in prison.

      1. EnviableOne

        Re: Pot meet kettle

        even if they dont own them and aren't in the US

        (CLOUD Act)

        1. southen bastard

          Re: Pot meet kettle

          Officially, the decision on whether to ban a company from the US’ networks is based on a number of factors, including “whether the applicant has a past criminal history; whether an applicant's foreign ownership could result in the control of US telecommunication infrastructure”; “whether the applicant will be required to comply with foreign requests e.g., requests for communications intercepts”; and “whether the applicant's planned operations… provide opportunities to... engage in economic espionage.”

          these all sound like good reasons to ban any merkin/ pommy shit from real world networkin, other country's will also be on that list, just best known ones used as example.

  4. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    The Pot Kettle Black in Another Filthy Paper Tiger Rich Vein

    The justification for the order is the companies are effectively owned by the Chinese government (they are subsidiaries of state-owned entities) and so represent a national security threat.

    Hello. Knock, knock. Is there anybody in there/out there?

    With the Federal Reserve again entered now already a long time into markets buying up and buying into distressed and zombie US assets which foreign agents are declining for sale and purchase and further perverse propagation with yet another round of quantitatively eased trillion$ to be pocketed predominantly and ostensibly by failed corporate bosses in corrupt bankrupting administrative processes, are such companies effectively owned by the US government representing a national security threat.

    And how very strange that such a self-destructive consortium distortion was ever allowed play space in the first place.

    We can only surely rightly conclude a catastrophic lack of vital virile intelligence in US centric circles?

    What other valid excuses/reasons would there be the mass accumulation of rising unpayable nationalised debt and inconvenient deficits.

    You do know about the unpayable US national debt and deficit which the Fed credits itself with in order to keep the Grand Ponzi Schematic alive .... Present US National Debt and Deficit

    But .... Keep Calm and Carry On, even as the Titanic is Unsinkable in no longer unthinkable.

  5. David 45

    Something for the election, sir?

    More Trump-fueled paranoia, no doubt.

  6. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Headmaster

    We contacted each company

    Thank you.

    Thank you so much for using English in that phrase and not the appallingly cutesy 'we reached out to...' abomination.

    1. Intractable Potsherd

      Re: We contacted each company

      Thanks, Neil - I was going to post the same comment myself!

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: We contacted each company

        Not allowed to reach out to at the moment

        1. Intractable Potsherd

          Re: We contacted each company

          Ah, yes - should have been obvious!! :-)

  7. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    "Americans are now experiencing the consequences"

    Of the utter incompetence of their so-called President.

    As usual, some idiot stands up and forgets half the story, conveniently the half that makes his statement empty. Yes, the local Wuhan police force initially clamped down on the hero doctor, but Beijing reversed that in record time, forced the local police to reverse their decision and apologize, and initiated a travel lockdown like no country has ever seen. And a billion Chinese dutifully obeyed.

    Meanwhile, the US buffoon that serves as President only issued confinement orders when he longer had the choice, as per his habit, and now there are clueless idiots who are protesting the confinement in the streets.

    Pity COVID-19 targets essentially old people. If it targeted blinding stupidity instead, it would actually be useful.

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: "Americans are now experiencing the consequences"

      "Meanwhile, the US buffoon that serves as President only issued confinement orders when he longer had the choice, as per his habit, and now there are clueless idiots who are protesting the confinement in the streets."

      Yeah, but Trump banned travel from China. He closed the borders. It was a beautiful ban, a very good ban. The fact he forgot to actually enforce it and a further 40,000 people entered the USA from China after the ban was in place is neither here nor there.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's pin-everything-on-China season

    it works. Recently it worked in the Soviet Union (siege mentality) and works great in Russia, worked with war on terror (them evildoers attacking our American way of life), worked with Brexit (our European "friends" with their bent bananas) and works great in those European states where it fits politicians to find an external enemy to blame (rightly or wrongly), be it refugees, the whole of the EU, or just your over the border neighbour. Why should it not work with the US, to deflect blame from their incompetent president (great, great president, best in their history, etc.). Blame somebody else, and China is a great scapegoat, first they took away American jobs and now, hints our great, great president, they also, cause thousands of deaths of innocent, hard-working Americans.

    People, in general, are stupid (and / or lazy), and they buy this shit because they want SIMPLE. Simple EVERYTHING. So politician give it to them. Level of sophistication required: zero. Level provided: zero. What you want is what you get.

  9. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    "The FCC’s logic is that since China Mobile – the world’s largest cellular network operator – was found to be a security risk because it is majority owned by Beijing, then any other telcos majority owned by the Chinese government must ipso facto also be security risks."

    The rest of us think exactly the same thing about US-owned corporations.

  10. msknight

    Err....

    Ban Chinese companies from operating, and then go and use Zoom. Am I missing something?

    1. seven of five

      Re: Err....

      No, not as such. Then, maybe yes, but you wouldn t understand. Which is good for you.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Wow. The naïveté of (presumably) IT professionals as evidenced by many of these comments just wobbles the mind.

  12. EnviableOne

    S S 7

    Three characters why this wont affect national security

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