Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Hytera and Dahua supply telecommunications equipment and video surveillance technology in the US, but these products are now subject to the ban.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that it will no longer license certain products of Chinese companies — they will no longer be able to legally import or sell telecommunications and video equipment.
“The FCC is committed to protecting our national security by ensuring that unreliable communications equipment is not used within our borders. These new rules are an important part of our ongoing efforts to protect the American people from telecommunications-related national security threats,” said FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel.
The list (which lists prohibited products and services) currently includes communications equipment manufactured by Huawei Technologies, ZTE Corporation, Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology and Dahua Technology (and their subsidiaries and affiliates). The new rules implement the directive of the Safe Equipment Act of 2021, which was signed into law by President Biden last November.
Previously, the Trump administration accused firms such as Huawei, ZTE and DJI of being threats to national security and added them to the Commerce Department’s “list”. The document prevented American companies from exporting technology to Chinese ones, not the other way around. This could, for example, affect the availability of Android updates on Huawei phones, as the Android vendor, Google, is an American company.
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And while the FCC has its own “list of companies” it deems to be a threat to national security (it has also ordered network operators to remove and replace all Huawei and ZTE equipment — likely costing billions of dollars), the commission has also not previously stopped companies from supply or sale of these products in the United States.
When Best Buy and Home Depot stopped selling Dahua and Hikvision security cameras, it wasn’t because the government ordered them to stop selling them—the stores simply didn’t want to be associated with reports of human rights abuses. Both brands can still be found on Amazon.
But even Amazon will no longer be able to legally sell new products unless the FCC gives it permission. Every such product imported for sale in the United States goes into the FCC’s OET database—if it’s not there, companies can’t supply bulk shipments of equipment for sale.
As for Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua security cameras, they may need to label their products more carefully to avoid a ban. Technically, the FCC only denies permission to equipment designed for “public safety, security of government agencies, surveillance of the physical security of critical infrastructure, and other national security purposes.”
“We will require these three companies to document what safeguards they will apply to marketing or sales for this. We are freezing all of their telecommunications equipment and video surveillance authorization applications until this work is done,” Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement.
As a result, if companies agree to sell cameras to consumers or small businesses, they may be able to be imported and sold. In addition, the FCC does not revoke previously issued authorizations.
Source: The Verge
