The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials told Reuters on Wednesday that the commission is taking action to block Huawei, ZTE, and other foreign companies believed to pose a threat to U.S. national security from certifying wireless equipment.
FCC plans to vote on a bipartisan proposal this month to ensure that telecom certification bodies and testing labs certifying wireless equipment for the U.S. market are not influenced by companies with security risks. Last week, FCC rejected Huawei’s testing lab participation in equipment authorization projects.
The agency stated that this new proposal would permanently prohibit Huawei and other entities on the FCC’s national security risk list from “playing any role in equipment authorization projects and providing the necessary tools to FCC and its national security partners to secure this important step.”
FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement that the agency “must ensure that our equipment authorization projects and those responsible for managing them can address the ongoing and evolving challenges posed by security and supply chain threats.”
Huawei’s certification as an accredited lab expired on Tuesday, but FCC rejected Huawei’s request for an extension of lab certification.
Commissioner Brendan Carr stated that the proposal would “ensure that the review of electronic equipment by testing labs and certification bodies who meet FCC requirements is a trustworthy and reliable process for the FCC.”
In 2020, FCC designated Huawei and ZTE as national security threats to communication networks, thereby prohibiting U.S. companies from using $8.3 billion in government funds to purchase equipment from these companies.
In November 2022, FCC banned the approval of new telecommunications equipment from Huawei and ZTE. This ban also extends to telecom and video surveillance equipment from Hytera Communications Corp, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, and Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co.
Huawei and Hikvision were added to the U.S. Entity List in 2019, restricting most U.S. suppliers from providing goods and technology to them without a license.
In 2022, FCC added Kaspersky Lab from Russia, China Telecom (Americas) Corp, China Mobile International USA, Pacific Networks Corp, and China Unicom (Americas) to the Covered List. This list includes companies that pose a threat to U.S. national security based on the 2019 law aimed at protecting U.S. communication networks.
On April 25th, FCC announced that it is directing the U.S. subsidiaries of China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile to cease their fixed or mobile broadband internet services in the U.S.
FCC stated that China Telecom is “subject to exploitation, influence, and control by the government of China (CCP).”