The FCC also set up a process for designating other companies as threats.
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday unanimously voted to help push Huawei and ZTE out of American telecommunications networks by blocking broadband subsidies from going to companies that don’t rip out gear made by the two controversial Chinese telecom giants.
The commission’s vote marks the latest bid by the federal government to curb the influence of these companies, which many U.S. policymakers say threatens national security and American dominance in the global race to roll out 5G networks. The FCC’s move comes with the explicit backing of Attorney General William Barr, who said Huawei and ZTE’s record of alleged bank fraud, obstruction of justice and intellectual property theft is proof they are “a threat to our collective security.”
“Both companies have close ties to China’s communist government and military apparatus,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said ahead of the vote. “Both companies are subject to Chinese laws broadly obligating them to cooperate with any request from the country’s intelligence services and to keep those requests secret. Both companies have engaged in conduct like intellectual property theft, bribery and corruption.”
“These concerns are by no means hypothetical,” Pai added, citing recent evidence of potential hidden backdoors built into Huawei equipment. “This FCC will not sit idly by and hope for the best.”
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The FCC unanimously votes to help push Huawei and ZTE out of American telecommunications networks by blocking broadband subsidies from going to companies that don't rip out gear made by the two controversial Chinese telecom giants https://t.co/bCUOK4YPKS
— POLITICO (@politico) November 22, 2019
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