US FCC Bans Huawei & ZTE to Protect Network From Chinese Threats
Funds may no longer be used to purchase, obtain, maintain, improve, modify, or support Huawei & ZTE hardware.
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States has banned telecom hardware manufacturers Huawei and ZTE classifying them as security threats due to alleged ties with the Chinese military, the agency mentioned in a release.
The FFC regulates all the communications technology in the US and it has decided to do away with the aforementioned Chinese hardware suppliers to protect US networks from security risks.
Huawei and ZTE were suppliers to the US under the Universal Service Fund, which is a collection of subsidies through which the US government promotes access to telecom services.
As per the release, “money from the FCC's $8.3 billion (Rs 62,676 cr approx) a year Universal Service Fund may no longer be used to purchase, obtain, maintain, improve, modify, or otherwise support any equipment or services produced or provided by these suppliers.“
FCC chairman Ajit Pai stated in the release that “based on the overwhelming weight of evidence, the Bureau has designated Huawei and ZTE 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,” he added.
The FCC also took into account the findings from the Executive Branch, the intelligence community, US allies, and communications service providers in other countries to come to this conclusion.
Pai asserted that the US will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to exploit vulnerabilities in the critical communications infrastructure in the US.
China is embroiled in another controversy on the other side of the globe as well as India has decided to ban 59 Chinese apps that are suspected to help the Chinese government with surveillance.
The apps have been ordered to be taken down from the app stores and telcos and ISPs have been ordered to stop the data transfers of these apps.
However, the Indian government hasn’t clamped down on the Chinese hardware that is currently being used by the telecommunications industry. Not to mention the sea of smartphone brands that are currently operating in India.
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