Holy Guacamole! China's Telecom Giants Face the Wrath of Congress!

A Whisker Away From Disaster!

Madre de Dios! It seems your favorite feline Puss in Boots must don his investigative sombrero once more! The esteemed members of the U.S. Congressional committee in a move more daring than my escape from the Castle of the Giant are forcing China's three biggest telecom companies – China Mobile China Telecom and China Unicom – to answer some rather pointed questions. Apparently whispers abound that these companies might be more chummy with the Chinese military and government than a cat is with a saucer of leche.

Subpoenas: Sharper Than My Claws!

In a display of bipartisan unity rarely seen outside of a well stocked tuna buffet both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have unsheathed their rarely used subpoena powers! These subpoenas sharper than my own claws aim to uncover whether these telecom titans are using their U.S. cloud and internet businesses to pilfer American data. ¡Ay ay ay! This is more serious than when I accidentally swapped Dulcinea's love sonnet with a grocery list!

Cyber Shadows and Volt Typhoon!

It appears that the good ol' U.S. of A. has been facing some rather nasty cyber attacks with the finger pointing squarely at Beijing. The FBI mentioned a Volt Typhoon – sounds like a villain straight out of one of my adventures! – has allowed China to sneak a peek at American telecommunications energy water and other vital infrastructures. The Chinese embassy however insists it's all just a case of mistaken identity. But as I always say “The truth escapes like a mouse from a cat's clutches if you are not careful!”

The Commerce Department's Pesky Probe!

Back in March the committee led by Republican John Moolenaar and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi had already sent some strongly worded letters seeking answers after a Reuters report revealed the Commerce Department was investigating these companies. But alas these requests were seemingly tossed aside like a used hairball. “A cat always lands on its feet but a bad deed lands harder.” So the congressional committee had to take the next step.

Banned But Not Gone!

While the FCC did the right thing by denying China Mobile's application and revoking China Telecom and China Unicom's authorizations these companies still have a sneaky little presence in the U.S. – like a fly in my soup! They're still providing cloud services and routing U.S. internet traffic. This has regulators and lawmakers twitching their whiskers fearing that personal information and intellectual property might be whisked away faster than a bandit's loot.

Tick Tock Goes the Deadline!

The subpoenas demand full cooperation by May 7th. If these companies fail to comply Congress might just find them in contempt! And trust me being on the wrong side of Congress is worse than facing El Miedo himself. As for me Puss in Boots I shall keep my ears perked and my claws sharpened ready to pounce on any further developments. After all “A hero must always be ready for the unexpected!” And perhaps I might just need to brush up on my Mandarin!