UPDATE A federal appeals court rejected an appeal from China Telecom, which means the FCC’s proceeding to revoke the company’s authorization to provide U.S. and international phone services will continue.
China Telecom appealed the FCC decision to federal court. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said the agency wanted the appeal dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
The court sided with the Commission. “This court may exercise jurisdiction only over final agency actions,” said Chief Judge Roger Gregory, Judge Julius Richardson, and Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum in their decision. They explained the order that China Telecom wants to appeal is not a final agency action.
In December, after a two-year process, the FCC began a proceeding to revoke China Telecom’s authorization to conduct business in America. The agency moved forward on the revocation proceeding on the recommendations of several executive branch agencies.
China Telecom Americas is indirectly and ultimately owned and controlled by the government of the People’s Republic of China, according to the Commission. The federal government believes the company is a national security threat and wants to cut off its access to U.S. telecommunications infrastructure.
Reader Interactions