FCC bans imports from Chinese telecom and surveillance manufacturers

The Federal Communications Commission will ban imports of equipment from a group of Chinese manufacturers Friday, widening a U.S. campaign that has moved from blocking approvals to cutting off market access.

The ban builds on rules the FCC adopted on Nov. 25, 2022, when it barred authorization of communications equipment it deemed an unacceptable national-security risk. As of Feb. 6, 2023, any equipment on the FCC Covered List has been prohibited from obtaining equipment authorization, and new covered equipment can no longer qualify for part 15 exemptions, meaning it cannot be imported, marketed, sold or operated in the United States. The Covered List currently includes equipment from Huawei Technologies Company, ZTE Corporation, Hytera Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Company and Dahua Technology Company in categories tied to telecommunications and video surveillance, including gear used for public safety, government facilities and critical infrastructure.

The FCC's Oct. 14, 2025 national-security advisory labels covered equipment and services an unacceptable risk and warns they can allow the Chinese Communist Party to surveil Americans and disrupt communications networks. On March 23, 2026, it added routers produced in foreign countries to the Covered List. Conditional approvals can run through Dec. 31, 2026.

For the first wave of buyers, the pressure will fall on rural carriers, municipal governments, public-safety agencies and integrators that still rely on lower-cost imports or existing inventories. Those organizations will have to rework procurement plans, line up alternate suppliers and absorb the possibility of higher prices or slower deployments. Consumers will feel it through fewer equipment options, delayed network upgrades and rising costs passed through by carriers and contractors.