Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

US telecoms regulator designates China’s Huawei, ZTE as national security threats

US telecoms regulator designates China’s Huawei, ZTE as national security threats

US tech firms are banned from using Universal Service Fund to purchase or support any equipment or services provided by these suppliers. The announcement is a step forward in restricting 5G technological equipment made by Chinese companies from entering US telecoms infrastructure

The US telecommunications watchdog on Tuesday designated two Chinese companies – Huawei Technologies and ZTE – as security threats and banned American firms from using a fund to purchase their products.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement: “Based on the overwhelming weight of evidence,” the agency has identified the two companies as well as their parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries “as national security risks to America’s communications networks – and to our 5G future”.

“Both companies have close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military apparatus, and both companies are broadly subject to Chinese law obligating them to cooperate with the country’s intelligence services,” said Pai.

American tech firms will not be authorised to use money from the FCC’s annual US$8.3 billion Universal Service Fund to purchase or support any equipment or services provided by these suppliers, effective immediately.

The Universal Service Fund, established in 1997, is a programme of telecoms subsidies for companies to purchase equipment and service to maximise telecoms services access in the country. The programme typically funds between US$5 billion to US$8 billion each year.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson toughened his stance on Huawei, telling reporters on that on the company, “the position is very, very simple.”

“I do want to see our critical national infrastructure properly protected from hostile state vendors, so we need to strike that balance and that’s what we’ll do,” said Johnson.

A Huawei representative didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Tuesday’s announcement by the FCC is a step forward in restricting 5G technological equipment made by Chinese companies from entering US telecommunications infrastructure.

And Britain’s statement showed a sea change in Huawei’s position in Europe, where a number of governments have been resisting requests by the Trump administration to exclude the Chinese telecoms provider.

Johnson, who in January allowed Huawei a limited role in Britain’s 5G network, has faced intense pressure from its own lawmakers to ban the 5G equipment maker for security reasons.

UK’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told Parliament Tuesday that Huawei will not be part of the UK’s 5G networks in the long term, adding that he welcomes approaches from alternative vendors including South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and Japan’s NEC.

The FCC has proposed that Huawei and ZTE be added to this rule since November. The companies posed a national security threat to the integrity of communications networks or the communications supply chain, the FCC had said then.

In March, US President Donald Trump signed legislation to bar rural telecoms carriers from using US subsidies to purchase network equipment from companies deemed a national security threat, including Huawei and ZTE. Existing products in the system are required to be ripped out and be replaced.

The FCC is establishing a programme to assist small providers with the costs of removing prohibited equipment or services from their networks.

“Once you get through all of that rip and replace, you clear out the underbrush problems of 5G spectrum, you start looking at how can the government compete against the Chinese government who, I would argue, illegally subsidises these contracts around the world,” said Mike Rogers, former House Intelligence Committee chairman.

“Then look at what benefits we can give to research and development for things like Open RAN or other technologies that are closing on the horizon. We need to ramp all of that together and understand that we’re going to be competitive. It’s in our national security interest,” Rogers said on Tuesday at a discussion about 5G hosted by the United States Telecom Association, a trade organisation representing companies such as AT&T and Cisco.

The US telecoms authority has been cracking down on Chinese firms after Congress criticised that the government agencies – Homeland Security, Justice and Defence – which advise the FCC on national security risks lacked consistent oversight in analysing threats by Chinese telecommunications companies.

US government officials have warned that Chinese state-owned carriers are subject to exploitation, influence, and control by the Chinese government and can be used in the Chinese government’s cyber and economic espionage efforts targeted at the United States.

ZTE, a Chinese telecoms giant, was cut off from doing business in the US in 2018 after the government found out the firm sold products to US-sanctioned Iran.

The company later agreed to pay US$1.4 billion in fines and was saved from the brink of collapse after US President Donald Trump directed the Commerce Department to lift the ban as a favour to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Huawei – the Chinese telecoms company that is a key player in next-generation 5G technology – has been a top target by the Trump administration. The company was placed on an “entity list” last May, barring it from buying critical components from its American suppliers.

Telecommunications companies, while acknowledging the importance to safeguard national security, cautioned against policies that simply excludes Chinese firms.

“Things like the export control restrictions and other things that the US government’s looking at vis-a-vis China are so significant. But at the end of the day, industry needs to have a broad base of suppliers,” said Chris Boyer, vice-president of global security and technology policy at AT&T on Tuesday. “What we’d like to see is policies that will help advance more competition and more diversity in the supply chain.”

The FCC has recently moved toward revoking the licenses or refused to issue licenses for China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, commonly referred to as the “Big Three”, to provide telecoms services in the US.

Also on Tuesday, Indian government ministers discussed the 5G rollout plans and whether Huawei should be allowed to participate, according to a report from the The Times of India.




AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×