F.C.C. Joins Push to Limit China’s Telecom Reach
By STEVE LOHRMARCH 26, 2018
The Federal Communications Commission is joining the Trump administration, Congress and other government agencies
that have targeted Huawei, China’s giant telecommunications equipment maker, as a national security risk.
rule would prohibit carriers from using money from the Universal Service Fund to buy gear from companies deemed to pose national security risks.
The agency also said it had not yet determined how it would identify companies that posed a risk to telecom systems, particularly as spying tools.
In its military spending authorization, Congress has prohibited the Pentagon from buying
network equipment from either Huawei or ZTE, another Chinese equipment maker.
Ajit Pai, chairman of the commission, on Monday proposed a rule to tighten restrictions
on companies building internet infrastructure in the United States.
Part of the rule’s impact may be to further crimp Huawei’s meager sales in America
by potentially affecting some deals with small and rural carriers, analysts said.
Instead, it says it would apply to any telecom supplier or subcontractor defined as a security risk.
