News: 0177029015

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FCC Chairman Tells Europe To Choose Between US or Chinese Communications Tech (ft.com)

(Tuesday April 15, 2025 @11:20AM (msmash) from the how-about-that dept.)


FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has issued a stark ultimatum to European allies, telling them to [1]choose between US and Chinese communications technology . In an interview with Financial Times, Carr urged "allied western democracies" to "focus on the real long-term bogey: the rise of the Chinese Communist party." The warning comes as European governments question Starlink's reliability after Washington threatened to switch off its services in Ukraine.

UK telecoms BT and Virgin Media O2 are currently trialing Starlink's satellite internet technology but haven't signed full agreements. "If you're concerned about Starlink, just wait for the CCP's version, then you'll be really worried," said Carr. Carr claimed Europe is "caught" between Washington and Beijing, with a "great divide" emerging between "CCP-aligned countries and others" in AI and satellite technology. He also accused the European Commission of "protectionism" and an "anti-American" attitude while suggesting Nokia and Ericsson should relocate manufacturing to the US to avoid Trump's import tariffs.



[1] https://www.ft.com/content/0a086fc2-1955-4ded-8558-6f9f85a0679d



Smart choice of words (Score:3, Insightful)

by TimothyHollins ( 4720957 )

I can't imagine this having an effect opposite to the intended one.

Re:Smart choice of words (Score:5, Insightful)

by karmawarrior ( 311177 )

Yeah, one country is totalitarian, the other is run by people who are doing their best to make their country totalitarian. The only way Carr's remarks make sense is if you assume he knows the Republicans will fail.

Regardless, there is zero chance Europeans are going to trust America right now on... well, anything. And presenting a false dilemma isn't going to change that.

Re: (Score:2)

by korgitser ( 1809018 )

> Yeah, one country is totalitarian, the other is run by people who are doing their best to make their country totalitarian.

Yeah, but which one is which? /s

Re: (Score:1)

by sabbede ( 2678435 )

Wait, make it totalitarian by reducing the size, scope and authority of the Federal government? How's that supposed to work?

Re: (Score:2)

by korgitser ( 1809018 )

First, a non-paywalled link: [1]https://archive.ph/CrpI2 [archive.ph]

“If you’re concerned about Starlink, just wait for the CCP’s version”. Isn't it just the best sales pitch, the competing offer is twice as bad as we are...

[1] https://archive.ph/CrpI2

What's he trying to do? (Score:1)

by davidwr ( 791652 )

Drive Europe into Xi's welcoming hands?

"Never pay the Dane-geld."

Third option? (Score:5, Insightful)

by frdmfghtr ( 603968 )

Is there no third option, European based tech?

I mean if I was in Europe and offered these "options," I'd look for homegrown too

Re: (Score:3)

by karmawarrior ( 311177 )

Bingo.

It's not as if Europe doesn't have the expertise. GSM (including W-CDMA and UMTS) are essentially European developed communications technologies, and are so good the world has standardized on them, even the US which was desperately trying to use Qualcomm's crap for decades because NIH and "cheap". Europe has plenty of experience launching satellites though I'd suggest the current management of the ESA needs a shake-up. At worst one could argue it doesn't have state of the art fabs... but neither does

Re: (Score:2)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

> What exactly is it that Carr thinks means Europe has to grab a non-European technology here for its communications infrastructure?

Because the position of Carr and the admin is that the US and EU are not really allied the way they were say, 6 months ago when this is an easy choice for the EU. Why buy from China or spend years to build out homegrown tech when the US has solutions ready to go and the US is a strong ally that can be depended on. Or both groups could engage in a joint effort to build out communications tech as a strong alternative to China.

Now the calculus is entirely different and that is for no good reason is the frustr

When the US threatens to invate neighbors... (Score:3)

by Targon ( 17348 )

Yea, Trump making threats about the USA taking over Canada and Greenland makes the USA seem like such a great ally with the trade war that is entirely caused by Donald Trump and no one else. So, Europe should side with the USA because....Trump is the bigger threat to world peace?

Easy choice (Score:2)

by Gabest ( 852807 )

Chinese have 220v and compatible wall plugs.

i know how that decision will go (Score:2)

by FudRucker ( 866063 )

considering the bridges Trump just burned down, besides that China has not been communist since Tricky Dick Nixon and Kissinger offered them a deal in capitalist money, China did retain a totalitarian government though and China has much more electronic manufacturing infrastructure too which will offer better deals on a wider variety of electronic devices

Hybrid third option (Score:2)

by Baron_Yam ( 643147 )

Design it in the EU, have it built in China, audit the hardware and firmware upon import - assuming this is less expensive than going 100% home-grown.

This keeps trade open with China and keeps the EU secure.

Right now, I'd say it's more important to wean off of Windows and iOS as quickly as possible. It is insane that the entire Western business world is one Trump order to an American company from being compromised.

I don't like Chinese politics, but they're stable and (as long as you're not in Taiwan), rela

For EU Russia is the problem not China... (Score:2)

by Lavandera ( 7308312 )

I think hundreds of thousands dead and millions expelled from their houses right on the EU borders are much bigger problem for Europe than China.

Credit ... is the only enduring testimonial to man's confidence in man.
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