Defense and Compliance Attorneys
The FCC has signaled a potential crackdown on three major Chinese state-owned telecom companies—China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom—by threatening to cut off their ability to connect to U.S. phone networks over shortcomings in robocall mitigation compliance and related national security concerns. If these firms are removed from the FCC’s Robocall Mitigation Database, U.S. carriers would be required to stop accepting traffic that originates directly from them, effectively blocking their calls from reaching U.S. consumers.
What the FCC just did
The FCC issued orders directing China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom to fix problems with their certifications in the Robocall Mitigation Database and to justify why they should remain listed. The agency gave them a short deadline (about two weeks) to respond and warned that failure to address the issues could lead to their removal from the database.
The FCC framed the move as part of its broader campaign against illegal robocalls, tying robocall enforcement to longstanding national security concerns about Chinese state-linked telecom firms. The orders highlight worries that foreign-controlled carriers could be used both to facilitate scam traffic and to pose broader risks to U.S. communications networks.
Why the Robocall Mitigation Database matters
Under FCC rules, U.S. voice service and intermediate providers can only accept traffic from carriers that are properly listed in the Robocall Mitigation Database. When a provider is removed from the database, U.S. networks must block its traffic, effectively disconnecting that provider from the U.S. telephone system.
The database underpins compliance with caller-authentication and robocall-mitigation requirements, including the STIR/SHAKEN framework that aims to verify caller identity and curb spoofed calls. The FCC has already used this mechanism aggressively, removing more than 1,200 providers in 2025 for noncompliance, which shows it is willing to impose the ultimate penalty of cutting carriers off from U.S. networks.
National security and China angle
U.S. officials have for years argued that Chinese state-affiliated telecom carriers present espionage and network-security risks because of their susceptibility to influence and control by the Chinese government. The FCC has previously revoked U.S. operating authorizations for affiliates of China Telecom and China Unicom, and more recently moved against Hong Kong Telecom citing its ties to China Unicom.
The latest robocall-focused orders dovetail with this national security trajectory by using compliance leverage—via the robocall database and anti-robocall rules—to scrutinize and potentially disconnect Chinese carriers. The action also aligns with broader U.S. efforts to restrict Chinese telecom equipment and to demand greater transparency on foreign ownership of FCC licensees.
Impact on robocalls and consumers
If the Chinese carriers lose their database status, U.S. providers would have to block calls that originate directly from their networks, which could interrupt a channel frequently used for international scam and spoofed calls. The FCC argues that tying network access to robust robocall controls is one of the most effective ways to pressure high-risk carriers to police their own traffic.
For legitimate traffic, such a cutoff could disrupt some lawful international calling between the U.S. and China, at least until any compliance issues are resolved. However, the FCC’s position is that providers unwilling or unable to meet robocall mitigation and security obligations “have no place” on U.S. networks, and that protecting consumers from fraud and abuse justifies strong measures.
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