FCC Proposes Barring China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom from US Data Centers — Vote April 30

The US Federal Communications Commission announced on April 10 that it was considering sweeping new measures to bar Chinese telecom carriers from operating data centers and network infrastructure on American soil, in what analysts described as the most aggressive expansion of anti-Huawei telecom restrictions to date. The draft rule would affect China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom — all of which are already on the FCC's Covered List of entities posing national security risks — but would now extend restrictions beyond direct communications services to data center operations and internet exchange points (IXPs). Under the proposal, US carriers would also be barred from interconnecting with these Chinese companies, including through affiliates and subsidiaries that previously escaped existing controls. The FCC's draft explicitly warns that Chinese telecoms operating data centers or network nodes at IXPs could enable traffic monitoring, data collection, or network disruption at critical internet infrastructure chokepoints. Companies could ultimately face requirements to sell, transfer, or shut down US-based data center assets. The FCC scheduled an initial vote on the proposal for its April 30 meeting, followed by a public comment period before a final rule. The announcement came one day after the US-China tariff war escalated to 145%/125%, placing the new telecom restrictions within a broader context of coordinated US government action across trade, export controls, and communications policy. Analysts at ChinaPulse noted the combined pressure 'creates a multi-front economic siege that is unprecedented in the modern US-China relationship.'