FCC Unanimously Advances Rules to Limit Chinese Testing of US Electronics and Restrict Certain Telecom Operations

The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to advance a proposal to bar all Chinese labs from testing electronic devices such as smartphones, cameras, and computers for use in the United States, the South China Morning Post reported.

About 75 percent of all US electronics are tested in China, according to the Federal Communications Commission. The agency plans to adopt a streamlined approval process for devices tested in US labs or labs from countries not posing national security risks.

In a separate 3-0 vote on Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission advanced a proposal to bar China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom from operating data centres in the US. The commission also voted 3-0 to advance a proposal that could ban telecoms carriers from interconnecting with companies on its national security Covered List.

The agency is considering barring interconnection with companies that own data centres or points of presence at US internet exchange points. The Federal Communications Commission is considering extending restrictions to some affiliates of listed firms.

It is also considering prohibiting interconnection with carriers using equipment from suppliers on the national security list including Huawei and ZTE.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the commission is considering a series of actions to secure our networks from these bad actors, including limiting their interconnection ability. People walked past the China Mobile building in Shanghai in March. The article was published at 1:51am on 1 May 2026 and has a reading time of 1 minute, according to the South China Morning Post.