US regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday (25 March) added Moscow-headquartered Kaspersky Lab, China Telecom (Americas) Corp and China Mobile International USA to its list of communications equipment and services that have been deemed a threat to national security.

In 2021, for the first time, the FCC published a list of communications equipment and services companies that it said posed an unacceptable risk to national security, including Huawei, ZTE, and three additional Chinese vendors.

FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said the FCC has been working closely with its national security partners to review and update the list, which is commonly referred to as the covered list.

“Today’s action is the latest in the FCC’s ongoing efforts, as part of the greater whole-of-government approach, to strengthen America’s communications networks against national security threats, including examining the foreign ownership of telecommunications companies providing service in the United States and revoking the authorisation to operate where necessary,” stated Rosenworcel.

The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act passed in 2019, requires the FCC to publish and maintain a list of communications equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to national security or the security and safety of US persons.