FCC Expands National Security Measures For Telecom Industry

Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took three separate actions to control foreign influence over US communications products and services. These decisions fit within the FCC's broader efforts to safeguard national security by mitigating risks associated with foreign adversary control.

These actions follow recent efforts by the FCC to protect the US communications infrastructure from potentially harmful products and services. For example, the FCC began implementing the "Rip and Replace" program in 2020 to reimburse telecommunications service providers for the costs associated with removing equipment manufactured by Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation. Subsequently, the FCC revised its equipment authorization rules in 2022 to prevent certain manufacturers identified by Congress to present national security risks (Huawei, ZTE, Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company, Dahua Technology Company) from