The US government is continuing its efforts to limit the use of technology from Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese tech companies in its telecommunications network. As part of these efforts, the Secure Equipment Act will prevent Huawei, ZTE and other companies that have been identified as security threats from receiving new equipment licenses from US regulators, according to a new report from Reuters. After being approved by the United States House in a vote of 420 to 4, the United States Senate voted unanimously to pass the legislation. Now all that is left for it to become law is a signature from US President Joe Biden.
Equipment licenses
Under the Safe Equipment Act, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would be prohibited from reviewing or issuing new equipment licenses to companies on its "list of covered equipment or services." In March, the FCC designated Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications Corp, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, and Zhejian Dahua Technology Co as a national security threat under a 2019 law designed to protect communications networks in the United States. Then, in June, the FCC voted unanimously to propose a plan that would ban all equipment approvals in US telecommunications networks from these five Chinese companies. While new equipment licenses would be barred, the proposed rules that received initial approval in June would also allow the FCC to revoke previous equipment licenses issued to Chinese companies. According to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, the Secure Equipment Act will prevent and help ensure that "unsecured equipment from companies like Huawei and ZTE can no longer be inserted into America's communications networks." With President Biden currently on a European tour meeting world leaders at a G7 summit in the UK, it is likely that he will sign the Safe Equipment Act once he returns to the US. Protect your privacy online with one of the best VPN services Via Reuters