The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), on the behalf of the United States government, adopted new rules prohibiting the sale and importation of communication equipment that pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the country. This is the latest step taken by the Commission in order to protect the communications networks of the United States.
Following the adoption of the rules, Chinese telecommunications and video surveillance vendors Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Hytera, and Dahua have been banned from commercializing their products in the United States.
Breaking Down the FCC’s Decision
The FCC issued a press release explaining the situation and how the passing of the laws will positively contribute to the safety of the U.S. and of its citizens.
The FCC is committed to protecting our national security by ensuring that untrustworthy communications equipment is not authorized for use within our borders, and we are continuing that work here,
Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC Chairwoman (Source)
The ban covers not only the parent companies but also their subsidiaries and affiliates as well. You can find out what equipment has been prohibited from being sold or imported by checking out the Covered List published by the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau.
The new rules prohibit the authorization of equipment through the FCC’s Certification process, and makes clear that such equipment cannot be authorized under the Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity process or be imported or marketed under rules that allow exemption from an equipment authorization.
More Countries Banning Chinese Telecommunication Hardware
Not only the United States but also other countries banned Chinese telecommunication hardware vendors. Telecom technology from both Huawei and ZTE has been either excluded or banned over the past years in multiple countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., Canada, Japan, India, and Romania.
Huawei has been under fire in previous situations too. For example, the U.S. has previously accused the Chinese company of stealing intellectual property, research, and development data, as well as planting backdoors in their products to potentially allow the Beijing government to run espionage operations.
Starting four years ago, some European Union countries have also voiced worries about security risks posed by the technology offered by Huawei and ZTE and have disqualified the two firms from competing for various projects.
BleepingComputer has reached out to all five banned companies for comments on the FCC’s decision. Out of the five, Dahua Technology USA reached out to the outlet to explain their opinion on the decision. The surveillance company declared that is continuing to review the FCC’s order, but based on their current analysis, they believe that the actions taken go far beyond the authority of the Commission.
The Chinese company explained that the order of the FCC does not affect the products that have already been authorized, and leaves open a path for their company to secure authorizations for additional products in the future, as their products are not marketed for public safety, government facilities, critical infrastructure, or national security purposes. Dahua is confident that they will continue to serve most of its U.S. customers for years to come.
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