The US communications and telecom regulator described the move as a “major step” in its ongoing efforts to protect the country’s communications network
WASHINGTON| The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated two Chinese telecom giants as “national security threats” just a day after India’s Ministry of Information Technology blocked 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat, and UC Browser on grounds they pose a security threat to the country.
US FCC’s Public Security and Homeland Security Bureau designated Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp as posing threats to US national security. The declaration bars US companies from accessing an $8.3 billion US government find to purchase equipment from companies.
The US communications and telecom regulator described the move as a “major step” in its ongoing efforts to protect the country’s communications network from outside threats.
The FCC statement said, “As a result of today’s action, money from FCC’s $8.3 billion-a-year Universal Fund may no longer be used to purchase, obtain, maintain, improve, modify or otherwise support any equipment or services produced by these suppliers.”
Both Huawei and ZTE have close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military apparatus. And both companies are broadly subject to Chinese law, which obligates them to cooperate with the country’s intelligence services.
The FCC chairman noted, “With this decision, we are sending a clear message: the U.S. Government, and this @FCC in particular, cannot and will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to exploit vulnerabilities in U.S. communications networks and compromise our critical communications infrastructure.”
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