Overview
- The Federal Communications Commission announced on June 26 that it will bar imports of additional equipment from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua, expanding a 2022 ban to cover older models used for public safety and critical-infrastructure surveillance.
- The expanded prohibitions take effect in early July and apply to devices used for public safety, government facilities, physical security of critical infrastructure, and other national security functions.
- The FCC said Americans may continue to use equipment they already own, so the order blocks future imports and authorizations rather than forcing immediate removals of installed gear.
- A legal challenge by Hikvision filed in December remains active, and the Chinese Embassy and the named companies had not publicly responded to the agency's latest announcement.
- The move could force agencies and utilities to change procurement and replacement plans and the FCC is also considering further steps, including banning US carriers from interconnecting with Chinese telecom firms, which would curb Chinese firms' access to US data centers.