The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will expand its ban on Chinese-made telecommunications and surveillance equipment to include older models, citing ongoing national security risks to critical infrastructure.

Key Points

• The FCC is extending import restrictions to include legacy models from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua.
• The expanded policy targets equipment used for public safety, government facility security, and critical infrastructure surveillance.
• The new regulations are scheduled to take effect in early July to mitigate risks within the U.S. communications sector.
• Existing equipment currently owned by Americans will remain permitted for use under the new order.
• This action follows previous 2022 and 2023 bans on new models of Chinese-made drones, routers, and telecommunications gear.

Why it Matters

This policy shift signals a hardening stance by U.S. regulators against Chinese technology providers to protect national security and critical data networks. The move forces companies and government agencies to accelerate the removal of restricted hardware from their supply chains and infrastructure.