US proposes to boost internet security, citing Chinese carrier action (updated)

China Mobile

06/06/2024 17:37

(Adds background on FCC and Chinese companies, no immediate
China Telecom comment, paragraphs 4-13)
    By David Shepardson
       WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) - The Federal
Communications Commission on Thursday voted to advance a
proposal to boost the security of information transmitted across
the internet after government agencies said a Chinese carrier
had misrouted traffic. 
    The U.S. telecommunications regulator since 2022 has been
studying vulnerabilities that it says threaten the security and
integrity of the Border Gateway Protocol, central to the
internet’s global information routing system. The proposal would
require broadband providers to create BGP security plans and
file reports on risk-mitigation progress.
    FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said on Thursday that U.S.
agencies had recently publicly disclosed that China Telecom
 0728.HK  used BGP vulnerabilities "to misroute United States
internet traffic on at least six occasions."
    She added, "These 'BGP hijacks' can expose personal
information, enable theft, extortion, and state-level
espionage."
    This is the latest action by Washington to restrict Chinese
telecom carriers including on undersea cables handling internet
traffic and on U.S. operations.
    China Telecom did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
    The internet consists of tens of thousands of interconnected
networks and BGP is used to exchange information to route
traffic.
    But the FCC noted the design of BGP "did not include
security features to ensure trust in the information that is
relied upon to route Internet traffic." 
    In April, the FCC said it was ordering the U.S. units of
China Telecom, China Unicom  0762.HK , China Mobile  0941.HK 
and Chinese telecommunications company Pacific Networks and its
wholly owned subsidiary ComNet to discontinue fixed or mobile
broadband internet operations in the United States.
    China Telecom told Reuters earlier it does not provide
broadband internet access services as defined by the FCC order. 
    The commission previously had barred the Chinese companies
from providing telecommunications services. Rosenworcel said
earlier the commission had evidence that Chinese telecom
carriers were providing broadband services in the United States.
    The FCC had cited national security concerns in revoking or
denying Chinese companies the right to provide U.S.
telecommunications services.
    The FCC previously barred approvals of new
telecommunications equipment from China's Huawei Technologies
and ZTE  000063.SZ  and other companies, saying they pose "an
unacceptable risk" to U.S. national security.


 (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington
Editing by Matthew Lewis)
 ((David.Shepardson@thomsonreuters.com; 2028988324;))