Coalition Urges Deep Dive on Security Issues Raised by T-Mobile/Sprint
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and others representing Protect America’s Wireless said the federal government should take a closer look T-Mobile buying Sprint in light of SoftBank’s ties to China and Saudi Arabia. On a Monday call with reporters, Rogers…
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and others declined to say who was funding the push. SoftBank owns a majority of Sprint. “I do have some concern with Softbank’s connection with Huawei,” said Rogers, ex-chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. “That to me should raise a red flag.” ZTE worked with SoftBank on tech research and development of new 5G radios, he said. Rogers said the U.S. should take a close look at the deal through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. “My encouragement is [CFIUS] should look at it hard, and if these companies ever wanted to move forward on anything, they would have to fundamentally make commitments, I would hope they'd be willing to make, but I'm not sure that they're willing to make at this point,” Rogers said. SoftBank agreed to some concessions on China to buy Sprint, but Rogers said it's not extensive. “You’re opening up an ecosystem that would not be part of that original agreement,” he said. Other speakers said SoftBank has deep ties to Saudi Arabia, which is troublesome after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and other alleged abuses by Saudi leaders. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman “besides ordering the murder of a Washington Post columnist, is actively destabilizing the Middle East and putting Americans at risk,” said Trita Parsi, Georgetown University adjunct professor of international relations. “To provide him with the leverage of being a key stakeholder in America’s telecommunications infrastructure of the future is beyond unwise.” Sprint and T-Mobile didn’t comment. Regardless of what happens in Tuesday’s elections, “I expected the incoming Congress to ask tough questions -- tough questions about the safety and security of America’s wireless networks,” said Kyle Downey, former GOP Senate staffer. T-Mobile and Sprint representatives met with FCC staff reviewing the deal on their economic arguments, said a filing posted Monday in docket 18-197.