FCC advances proposal to ban Chinese labs from testing US electronics

On Thursday, the US Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted to move forward with a proposal that would prevent all Chinese laboratories from testing electronic devices—such as smartphones, cameras, and computers—for use within the United States. The FCC noted that around 75% of electronics in the US are currently tested in China and intends to establish a simplified approval process for devices tested in US laboratories or those from nations that do not pose security threats. In a separate 3-0 vote, the commission also advanced a proposal to restrict China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom from operating data centers in the US, potentially prohibiting telecom carriers from interconnecting with entities on its national security "Covered List." Previously, the FCC had already banned these three companies from US operations. FCC Chair Brendan Carr mentioned that the commission is evaluating measures "to secure our networks from these bad actors," including limiting their interconnection capabilities.