WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) - The Federal

Communications Commission said Thursday it is investigating if

the use of Russian and Chinese foreign satellite systems by U.S.

mobile phones and other devices poses security threats.

The FCC has concerns U.S. handheld devices are receiving and

processing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals

from satellites controlled by foreign adversaries in violation

of commission rules.

The FCC is seeking answers from handset manufacturers Apple ( AAPL )

, Google, Motorola, Nokia,

Samsung and others that collectively cover over 90%

of the U.S. smartphone marketplace.

The companies did not immediately respond to requests for

comment.

"There is no established record of what security threats, if

any, these signals carry and whether the manufacturers of

handheld devices are processing these signals in violation of

the Commission's rules," a FCC spokesperson said.

Representative Mike Gallagher, chair of the House Select

China Committee, wrote FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel earlier

this week raising concern about reports that U.S. cell phones

were receiving and processing signals from Chinese and Russian

satellites.

The FCC has only approved U.S. phones to receivers to

receive and process signals from the U.S. Global Positioning

System (GPS) and only the European Galileo GNSS has been

approved. Gallagher said U.S. devices are receiving signals

from the PRC BeiDou and Russian GLONASS GNSS constellations.

"Current events in Eastern Europe (including significant

Russian jamming and spoofing of GNSS signals) call into question

the wisdom of accepting this workaround and suggest it is

critical that the FCC enforce its rules against using

unauthorized signals from foreign satellites," Gallagher said.

Rosenworcel in 2018 raised concerns saying U.S. phones have

chips designed to operate with global navigation satellite

systems of other countries. "Many devices in the United States

are already operating with foreign signals," she said in 2018.

The FCC wants to know "whether their devices are in

compliance with FCC rules and what vulnerabilities" may exist in

how they process GNSS signals.