The Federal Communications Commission said on Friday it is weighing a further restriction on certain Chinese-made technology gear, asking for public input on whether imports of some equipment should be halted even if those devices were previously approved for sale in the United States prior to a 2022 order.
In 2021 the FCC placed telecommunications and video surveillance products from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua on its so-called Covered List. That action identified equipment produced by those five firms as falling under the agency's measures.
Following that step, in November 2022 the FCC announced it would not authorize the import or sale of new models from those listed companies. The agency said on Friday it now wants comment on whether to take the additional step of barring the continued importation of equipment that had been approved for sale in the U.S. before the 2022 order.
The current request for comment does not add new companies to the Covered List; it focuses on the status of devices from the five named manufacturers that gained approval before November 2022. The FCC described the matter in procedural terms as it solicits public input on whether continued imports of those previously authorized models should be prohibited.
Summary
The FCC is considering expanding its existing restrictions on equipment from five Chinese firms. After placing Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua on its Covered List in 2021 and declining to authorize new models in November 2022, the commission is now asking whether imports of devices approved before that 2022 decision should be barred.
Key points
- The FCC added telecom and video surveillance equipment from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua to its Covered List in 2021.
- In November 2022 the FCC said it would not authorize the import or sale of new models from those companies.
- On Friday the FCC sought comment on whether to bar the continued importation of equipment from those listed firms that had been approved for sale in the U.S. before the 2022 order.
Risks and uncertainties
- Regulatory uncertainty remains over whether previously approved devices from the five named companies will continue to be allowed for importation - this affects telecommunications and video surveillance sectors.
- The FCC's solicitation of comment indicates the final scope of any further prohibitions is unresolved and could change pending response and internal decisions - this creates uncertainty for firms relying on imports of the affected equipment.
This report is limited to the actions and timelines identified by the FCC in the statements referenced above. It does not introduce additional developments beyond those steps: the 2021 additions to the Covered List, the November 2022 prohibition on authorizing new models, and the current request for comment on continued imports of pre-2022 approved equipment.