The FCC has banned Huawei, ZTE, and other Chinese businesses from selling telecom and video surveillance equipment

Last year, the Biden administration signed the Secure Equipment Act into law, which sought to prevent network licences from being granted to many Chinese corporations whose technology was deemed a national security danger. The FCC said today that it is officially implementing that order, which implies that future equipment from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua will not be sold in the United States. Existing equipment from those firms, all of which are on the FCC’s “Covered List,” is unaffected by the rule.

“The FCC is committed to protecting our national security by ensuring that untrustworthy communications equipment is not authorised for use within our borders, and we are continuing that work here,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “These new rules are an important part of our ongoing actions to protect the American people from national security threats involving telecommunications.”

To be precise, the FCC is not outright prohibiting these businesses’ hardware. And for some, such as Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua, Rosenworcel says that it is focused on gear for “public safety, security of government facilities, physical surveillance of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes.” If those corporations can demonstrate that they are not selling such equipment for government use — for example, by diverting it to consumers — they may be able to obtain FCC authorization.

This new action comes after years of dispute between the United States and firms with significant ties to Chinese officials. This has included putting some well-known Chinese companies, including DJI, on the Department of Commerce’s “Entity List,” which forbids US companies from supplying equipment to them. The FCC is also requesting $5 billion to assist US carriers with the huge burden of replacing Huawei and ZTE equipment.