By David Shepardson
July 22 (Reuters) – The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday voted to bar sales of devices in the U.S. that contain key hardware from Chinese companies deemed to be national security risks.
The U.S. telecom watchdog maintains a list of firms — including Chinese telecom company Huawei and ZTE — whose equipment is barred for sale in the U.S. over national security concerns.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the agency would “fully close the component part loophole.” Since 2022, devices made by companies like Huawei on the list were banned from getting new authorizations, but devices containing Huawei component parts could continue to get approval to enter the U.S. market. The new rules prohibit devices containing any Huawei-made logic-bearing hardware component.
Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Chris McGuire, a former White House National Security Council official under former President Joe Biden, told Reuters “compromised components, particularly semiconductors or communications devices, can be used to corrupt entire devices.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has mounted a sweeping crackdown on Chinese technology gear.
Last month, the FCC banned the import of more equipment from a group of Chinese manufacturers effective July 16 and on Tuesday proposed to ban the import of most military-grade drones.
The FCC also banned imports of new foreign drone and router models in recent months and has proposed to prohibit U.S. telecommunications carriers from interconnecting with Chinese telecom firms deemed national security risks.
The FCC is also considering banning Chinese telecoms companies which own data centers in the United States or so-called Points of Presence, which sit at internet exchange points, from interconnecting with other companies. That would effectively require Chinese telecoms to stop operating those U.S. centers.
(Reporting by David Shepardson;; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
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