As previously reported by The Drill Down’s Hunter Pease…
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission, building on a Trump-era plan, intends to suspend all transactions of incoming telecommunications products sold by certain Chinese firms, including Huawei and ZTE. This ban also includes the sale of “video surveillance equipment” from other Chinese corporations, including Hytera Communications Corporation, Hikvision, and Duhua Technology Company.
According to Axios, the FCC has never before “banned electronics equipment” because of national security concerns. The ban still requires a Commission vote, but reflects official U.S. concern about Chinese government spying through their telecommunication companies. These concerns have also been expressed elsewhere -“Trump Called It…” and “Spy Games…”- and in Peter Schweizer’s book, Red-Handed.
The ban took effect in November…
“The FCC is committed to protecting our national security by ensuring that untrustworthy communications equipment is not authorized for use within our borders, and we are continuing that work here,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement at the time.
Now it looks like Congress is getting ready to take action against Huawei, as a bipartisan effort in the Senate has put forth the “NETWORKS Act” —an act that would “impose sanctions on foreign telecommunications companies suspected to be engaged in economic or industrial espionage against American companies,” according to The Daily Wire.
“The bill directs the president to use his sanctions authority under International Emergency Economic Powers Act to block foreign individuals from making property transactions in the United States,” The Daily Wire reports. “Specifically, the bill targets “foreign persons” who develop fifth-generation (5G) or future generation telecommunications technology, and engage in economic or industrial espionage or other illicit activities in the U.S. Limited exceptions are made for the importation of goods.”
The bill was co-authored by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) co-sponsored the bill.
“We’ve made great strides in recent years at home and abroad in combatting Huawei’s malign attempts to dominate 5G and steal Americans’ data,” Cotton said in a statement. “However, the fight is not finished. Huawei is an arm of Chinese intelligence. We cannot allow Huawei and the Chinese Communist Party to have access to Americans’ personal data and our country’s most sensitive defense systems. We must address the dire threat these Chinese companies pose to our national security.”
“Foreign companies that spy on the U.S. and violate our laws should face severe consequences,” Van Hollen added. “Huawei is a repeat offender. This bipartisan bill will bolster our national defenses by further sanctioning Huawei and other similar bad actors seeking to undermine our security.”
The pushback on Huawei comes as the Senate unanimously passed a bill to ban Chinese social media app TikTok on all government devices, following many GOP governors across the country.
Are we finally getting wise to China?
