FCC Boots Hong Kong Telecom, Citing China Ties

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2025 — The Federal Communication Commission’s crackdown on Chinese-aligned telecoms reached Hong Kong yesterday. 

Regulators moved to revoke Hong Kong Telecom’s authority to operate in U.S. networks, and called the company a national security risk tied to the Chinese Communist Party. 

Although Hong Kong, a special administrative region governed under China’s 2020 National Security Law, was regarded by U.S. officials as under Beijing’s control.

The agency issued an Order to Show Cause to HKT (International) Limited and its subsidiaries, and directed them to explain why their Section 214 authorizations — which allowed foreign carriers to provide telecom services in the U.S. — should not be revoked.

The FCC said HKT was affiliated with China Unicom (Americas), a firm already barred from U.S. networks over its links to the Chinese state. The agency’s Covered List identified foreign carriers whose ownership structures raised national security concerns, a category that now included HKT.

“Today’s Order continues the FCC’s work of ensuring that CCP-controlled entities that pose national security risks cannot connect to our telecom networks,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. He called the move against HKT “an appropriate step toward ensuring the safety and integrity of our communications networks” and said the Commission will keep defending U.S. infrastructure from “foreign adversaries, like China.”

If the Commission followed through, HKT and its affiliates would lose their authority to operate in the United States. The order also covered subsidiaries PCCW Global, Gateway Global Communications, and PCCW Global (UK), each required to justify why their licenses should not be terminated.

It was the latest move in a campaign to keep foreign state-aligned telecoms out of U.S. infrastructure. On bipartisan votes and at the urging of national security agencies, the FCC had previously expelled China Mobile International (USA), China Telecom (Americas), China Unicom (Americas), Pacific Networks, and ComNet (USA) — all found to be under Chinese government influence.

The Hong Kong Telecom action also came as the FCC broadened its scrutiny of Chinese-made technology. On Friday, the agency launched Operation Clean Carts, an enforcement initiative aimed at removing blacklisted telecom and surveillance devices from online marketplaces. 

The FCC said millions of prohibited items, including routers, cameras, and connected devices made by telecom giants Huawei and ZTE and surveillance manufacturer Dahua Technology, had been taken down in coordination with major e-commerce platforms. 

Together, the actions reinforced U.S. efforts to block both equipment and companies linked to foreign network risks.

HKT now has 30 days to respond to the order and disclose its full ownership structure and governance ties.