FCC to Vote on November 19 on Proposal to Restrict Chinese Companies’ Access to U.S. Phone Numbers
Key Facts
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said it will vote on November 19, 2026, on a proposal to bar China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom and other providers from direct access to U.S. phone numbers. The measure targets fraud-related robocalls, Reuters reported, citing the commission. The proposal covers internet-based service providers as well as the three Chinese telecom companies. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the move would strengthen "the first line of defense against bad actors and illegal robocallers." The proposed vote date puts the direct allocation of U.S. numbers to telecom providers on the agenda for upcoming regulatory action.
Direct access to numbers matters to the business model of voice-over-internet-protocol, or VoIP, providers, which use the technology to carry calls over broadband connections. The technology converts voice into digital data, Reuters explained. The agency said direct access to numbers is a "much lower-cost" option for these providers and also allows them to offer advanced features. Restricting this route could change the terms under which those companies obtain U.S. numbers, a central issue in the proposal. The measure's scope remains focused on direct access to numbers, according to Reuters' account.
The proposal also covers internet protocol service providers that use equipment from companies listed by the FCC as national security risks. Huawei and ZTE are among the companies cited in the coverage. This means the proposed rule is not limited to the named Chinese telecom companies, but also reaches service providers that use equipment on the list. Separately, in July 2026, the commission added California-based Digitalsystem Technology to its list of risks. The commission cited the company's ties to Chinese telecom companies and its ownership by a Chinese national.
The move comes amid a broader review of number-allocation rules for interconnected VoIP providers. The FCC reopened the comment record on reclaiming numbering resources that providers had obtained directly from numbering administrators before their authorizations were revoked or expired. The FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau set March 16, 2026, as the deadline for comments and April 13 for replies on the third notice of proposed rulemaking. The commission sought views on restricting numbering authorizations for VoIP providers or reassessing direct-access authorizations for entities covered by the list of covered equipment and services, or that use listed equipment. These proceedings place numbers and authorizations within a broader regulatory review than the proposal scheduled for a November vote.
The commission has previously taken action involving authorizations for companies linked to China. On October 15, 2025, it began an initial step toward revoking HKT's authority to provide international and domestic telecommunications services in the United States, and asked the company and its affiliates to explain why revocation proceedings should not begin. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said HKT is a subsidiary of an entity linked to China Unicom, which is already on the commission's list of covered entities because of national security determinations. In 2022, the commission revoked China Unicom (Americas) Operations Limited's domestic and international authorizations under Section 214 of the Communications Act. The United States has also barred China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom from providing international telecommunications services to the country.
These restrictions are part of broader U.S. concerns about the security of telecommunications networks, following breaches Washington has partly attributed to the China-backed Salt Typhoon group. In late 2024, Washington said the group stole consumer call records and U.S. call data, and breached telecom companies and their infrastructure. The FBI said this year that threats associated with the group "remain ongoing." This background distinguishes the current proposal, which focuses on direct access to phone numbers, from the broader security concerns raised by telecom network breaches. Reuters also noted that other measures under consideration include barring Chinese telecom companies from connecting to U.S. networks and operating their data centers in the United States.
Another measure cited by Reuters is an FCC plan to bar all Chinese laboratories from testing U.S. electronics in December 2028. This is a separate regulatory track from the upcoming vote on access to numbers, and considering the withdrawal of some direct-access authorizations is another action the commission could take against Chinese companies it considers threats to national security. Near-term attention is therefore focused on the November 19 vote, while other measures are spread across separate matters and timelines. Those matters include network connections, data centers and authorizations, while the December 2028 date concerns electronics testing. The coverage did not give a specific date for decisions on the other proposals.