Brindisi Pushes Federal Communications Commission to Deny License to Chinese Mobile Provider Planning Link-Up to U.S. – Assemblyman Says License Approval Could Compromise National Security Installations Like Rome AFRL

February 6, 2013

Utica, NY – Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi called on the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) today to deny a license request it has been considering on behalf of an applicant named, ‘China Mobile.’ ‘China Mobile,’ a Chinese mobile provider, has applied for a license from the FCC to provide service between China and the United States and to build facilities on American soil. Brindisi says the FCC’s decision on this license could impact Mohawk Valley defense contractors who already fear Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft, but most importantly, Rome Air Force Research Laboratory could be at risk should the license get approved.

Brindisi’s push to deny China Mobile’s FCC license comes on the heels of a ‘New York Times’ hacking and company breach that officials have linked to China, specifically, officials within China’s own government. Though the Chinese deny these allegations, Brindisi asserts that cyber espionage from numerous countries is here to stay and that the U.S. must remain vigilant against threats, both unexpected and apparent. However, Brindisi says New York, too, must do what it can to protect its cyber infrastructure from threats. Brindisi says that giving ‘China Mobile’ the ‘all-clear’ for a license could give China unprecedented access to information and physical infrastructure here at home, while proving detrimental to national security points of interest like Rome Air Force Research Laboratory.

“Granting China Mobile’s FCC license would be like giving a hacker the password to your personal computer,” Brindisi said. “With all we know about both prior and new efforts by the Chinese to attack us through cyber espionage, we should be hesitant of any applications they file to gain a very real leg-up against our domestic intelligence.”

“That doesn’t mean we shut them out completely,” he said. “But, it does mean we leave no stone unturned in fully vetting their plans while holding their government accountable. Right now, we don’t know if those procedures are in place.”

Brindisi’s letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski appears below:

Julius Genachowski, Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554

Dear Chairman Genachowski:

I write today with great urgency as it relates to the FCC license application of “China Mobile.” I know this is an issue your staff is now considering. I respectfully urge your agency to deny China Mobile’s FCC application seeking to provide service between China and the United States, as well as to build facilities on American soil.

With an FCC license in-hand, I am concerned that ‘China Mobile’ would command unprecedented access to both tangible and intangible U.S. infrastructure, particularly as it relates to national security points of interest like Rome Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Rome, NY. The AFRL Information Directorate is focused on research and advanced development in the cyber domain. I fear facilities like this would become even easier targets for hackers looking to spy on our country or steal our nation’s intellectual assets and information.

Just recently, with the hacking of U.S. newspapers and other corporations by the Chinese, cybersecurity has once again been brought to the forefront of the national security debate. Fortunately, the area I represent here in Upstate, New York is home to a firewall of cybersecurity experts, both private and public. Our local colleges are helping create the nation’s first cyber army and installations like Rome AFRL are employing them to keep our nation safe and secure from cyber invaders, like the Chinese.

Again, I respectfully urge your agency to keep me abreast on the FCC license application of ‘China Mobile’ and hope your team will either work to deny their application or help reassure relevant facilities across the U.S. that they are seeking unprecedented U.S. access for monitored and agreed upon good.

Moreover, should you or your staff ever wish to see the cybersecurity firewall I mentioned above, happening right here in the Utica-Rome area, I invite you to call upon me. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions as it relates to my inquiry and opinion of China Mobile’s FCC application.

Sincerely,
Anthony J. Brindisi
Member, New York State Assembly

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