The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took two steps related to licenses and labs last week, which it says will further secure telecommunications equipment and networks from foreign influence.
Both moves were made public on May 22. According to the FCC, one action is a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would identify entities holding licenses and authorizations that are subject to the ownership, jurisdiction, direction, and control of a foreign adversary.
The press release points out that the FCC already has a Covered List of equipment and services that pose unacceptable risks to national security and can revoke adversary authorizations. The FCC NRPM would institute similar oversight to licenses.
The second move is a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that focuses on equipment test labs and telecommunications certification bodies. These entities test all items that emit radio frequencies, including IoT devices, computers, fitness trackers, network gear, smartphones, and baby monitors to ensure that they comply with FCC rules.
The FCC must approve certification bodies, accreditation bodies, and some test labs. However, in the past the assessment was based on competency and impartiality, not trustworthiness.
The goal of the new rules is to extend oversight to another level. “While the agency has in recent years barred entities on the FCC’s Covered List from having their devices approved for use in the U.S. due to determinations that such devices pose national security risks, these new rules ensure that the accreditation and certification bodies and test labs are themselves not untrustworthy actors,” according to the press release.
The press release suggests that FCC reviews conclude that “a number of labs potentially have deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”
Of course, Licenses and labs are not the only issues the FCC will take on. Last November, Telecompetitor reviewed some of the major issues the FCC will likely address under the leadership of Brendan Carr, whom President Trump appointed to be FCC Chairman at the start of the new presidential administration.
