The Federal Communications Commission announced Friday it will extend its import ban on Chinese-made telecom and surveillance equipment to cover older device models, not just those designed after late 2022, according to Reuters.
The expanded prohibition takes effect in early July and covers equipment used for public safety, government facilities, and critical infrastructure
Bloomberg / Getty Images
The Federal Communications Commission announced Friday it will extend its import ban on Chinese-made telecom and surveillance equipment to cover older device models, not just those designed after late 2022, according to Reuters.
Equipment covered by the expanded prohibition includes gear used for "public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes." Early July is the scheduled effective date. Justifying the move, the FCC stated that it "is necessary to protect national security by mitigating risks to the U.S. communications sector."
Existing owners of affected devices will face no requirement to stop using them, the FCC noted. Neither the Chinese Embassy in Washington nor the named companies had responded to inquiries at the time of publication.
Friday's action is the latest in a string of FCC moves aimed at Chinese-made technology. A December rule closed the door on importing any new drone models from Chinese manufacturers, and a similar restriction on new consumer router models — the hardware that links phones, computers, and other devices to the internet — followed in March. Neither category sees its earlier-model import ban broadened by the current order.
A unanimous October vote gave the FCC power both to deny new certifications for equipment incorporating components from blacklisted firms and to revoke certifications it had previously granted. That ruling drew a legal challenge in December from surveillance camera manufacturer Hikvision, whose lawsuit contends the agency overstepped its statutory authority and acted without adequate factual grounds.
Under consideration at the FCC is an additional rule that would cut off U.S. carriers from establishing network links with their Chinese counterparts — a step that, if adopted, would shut Chinese telecom companies out of the U.S. data center market.
The moves are part of a broader pattern of U.S.-China tech restrictions. Beijing has responded to American actions with its own countermeasures, including export control and government procurement bans targeting 56 American companies, many of them defense contractors, in direct response to the Pentagon's expansion of its list of Chinese firms it accuses of supporting China's military.
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