FCC to Ban Approval of New Huawei, ZTE Equipment

According to a report, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will bar approval of new telecom equipment from China’s Huawei Technologies and ZTE in the United States on national security grounds, according to a document released by the agency.

Last week, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel circulated the proposed ban to three other commissioners for final approval. These companies will not be able to sell new devices in the United States without device authorization.

In June 2021, the FCC voted to approve a plan to bar Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE, seen as national security threats, from approving equipment in U.S. telecommunications networks.

Previously, in March 2021, five Chinese companies were placed on a so-called “covered list” under a 2019 law designed to protect U.S. communications networks for posing a threat to national security, which include Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications, Hikvision Digital Technology and Zhejiang Dahua Technology.

The FCC said in June 2021 that it was considering a ban on all device authorizations for all companies on the List.

This year, the FCC added Russia’s AO Kaspersky Lab, China Telecom (Americas), China Mobile International America, Pacific Networks and China Unicom (Americas) to the coverage list.

Rosenworcel said last year that the new measures would exclude untrustworthy equipment from US communications networks. She added that through the equipment authorization process, the U.S. provides open opportunities for the use of Huawei and other Chinese equipment in America, so it is suggested to close those doors.Since 2018, the FCC has approved more than 3,000 applications from Huawei in 2021, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said.The FCC’s action would prohibit all future authorizations of communications equipment deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to national security.In 2019, the United States added Huawei, Hikvision and other companies to its economic blacklist.