The FCC’s tough new foreign ownership disclosure rule targets China and other adversaries secretly infiltrating America’s communications networks, marking a major escalation in President Trump’s campaign to protect critical infrastructure from foreign threats.
Key Takeaways
- The FCC’s new mandate requires communications entities to disclose ownership or control links to foreign adversaries including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela’s Maduro regime.
- All entities with more than 10% foreign adversary voting or equity control must report these details, closing existing loopholes that allowed hidden foreign influence.
- FCC reviews have revealed numerous labs with potential deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party, sparking immediate national security concerns.
- The commission plans to establish a searchable database of foreign ownership and may implement recurring disclosure requirements.
- This initiative builds on previous Trump-era security measures including bans on Chinese telecommunications equipment from companies like Huawei.
Strengthening America’s Communications Security
The Federal Communications Commission has launched a sweeping initiative to identify and eliminate foreign adversary control within America’s critical communications infrastructure. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) specifically targets entities influenced by China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and the Maduro regime in Venezuela. The proposal requires all FCC-regulated entities—from telecom carriers to satellite operators—to certify whether they are owned, controlled, or influenced by these designated foreign adversaries, providing unprecedented transparency into potential national security vulnerabilities lurking within American networks.
Under the new requirements, any company with more than 10% voting rights or equity held by a foreign adversary must disclose these connections. This disclosure threshold ensures that even minority foreign influence can no longer remain hidden from regulatory oversight. The FCC’s action represents a significant expansion of America’s defensive posture against telecommunications threats, building upon President Trump’s earlier initiatives to secure domestic communications infrastructure from foreign exploitation. The commission also maintains a “Covered List” of equipment and services that pose security risks, with the authority to revoke authorizations from adversary-controlled entities.
Exposing CCP Infiltration in Testing Labs
Perhaps most alarming in the FCC’s findings is the discovery that numerous equipment testing laboratories and certification bodies may have been compromised by foreign adversaries. A Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking specifically addresses concerns about the trustworthiness of labs responsible for certifying telecommunications equipment before it enters the American market. These labs play a critical role in ensuring equipment meets technical standards, but many have now been flagged for potential connections to hostile foreign powers, particularly China, creating serious vulnerabilities in America’s equipment approval process.
“a number of labs potentially have deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)” according to press release
The FCC’s investigation has prompted new requirements for equipment test labs and telecommunications certification bodies. Under the proposed rules, the FCC must approve certification bodies, accreditation bodies, and test labs based on thorough assessments of their trustworthiness. This closes a significant security gap where potentially compromised testing facilities could have allowed unauthorized or malicious equipment to receive certification for use in American networks. The threat is particularly concerning given China’s strategic focus on infiltrating American communications infrastructure through multiple vectors.
Building a Comprehensive Defense Strategy
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has been outspoken about the necessity of these new disclosure requirements, emphasizing the critical role transparency plays in protecting national security. The commission’s actions align with broader congressional efforts, as the House recently passed the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act, demonstrating unified government recognition of the threats posed by foreign infiltration of America’s communications networks. The bipartisan support highlights the seriousness with which Washington views these vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” he wrote, noting that current collections leave “gaps” that mask how Beijing and others might exert control,” stated by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr
The FCC’s proposal represents a significant escalation in America’s defense against foreign threats to communications infrastructure. By requiring comprehensive disclosure of foreign ownership, creating a searchable database of this information, and potentially implementing recurring disclosure requirements, the commission is building a robust system to identify and mitigate risks from foreign adversaries. These efforts build upon previous security measures, including bans on Chinese telecommunications equipment from companies like Huawei and ZTE, demonstrating the administration’s continued commitment to protecting America’s communications networks from foreign exploitation.
A Direct Response to Coordinated Foreign Threats
The FCC’s actions come in response to well-documented efforts by foreign adversaries to compromise American communications infrastructure. The commission’s announcement explicitly acknowledges the coordinated campaigns by hostile nations to exploit vulnerabilities in U.S. networks. These foreign efforts represent a clear and present danger to national security, potentially allowing adversaries like China to conduct espionage, disrupt critical services, or access sensitive information. The new disclosure requirements create unprecedented visibility into foreign influence, allowing regulators to identify and counter these threats before they can be exploited.
“The U.S. Government has long recognized that foreign adversaries have been engaged in a widespread and coordinated effort to exploit, attack, and otherwise compromise the integrity of U.S. communications networks,” an FCC announcement of the rule stated.” – FCC announcement
The FCC is currently seeking public input on several aspects of the proposal, including definitions of key terms, appropriate reporting thresholds, and implementation strategies. As the rulemaking process moves forward, the commission aims to create a comprehensive system that balances security needs with practical implementation considerations. The final rules will likely include recurring disclosure requirements and a searchable public database, creating unprecedented transparency into foreign ownership of American communications infrastructure and closing a critical national security vulnerability that has gone unaddressed for too long.
