Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

The Federal Communications Commission is launching a voluntary labeling program for wireless consumer “Internet of Things” products that have been certified and tested to meet FCC IoT cybersecurity standards, the commission said in a final rule released July 29.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a legislative hearing Feb. 15 to advance several pending measures, including a bill that would add Chinese drone company Da-Jiang Innovations (DJI) to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Covered list, which would prohibit DJI technology from operating on U.S. communications infrastructure.

The Federal Communications Commission is proposing a "voluntary cybersecurity labeling program" for Internet of Things (IoT) devices that would provide "easily understood" and "accessible information" to consumers about the security of their IoT devices, the agency said.

The Federal Communications Commission seeks additional comments on aspects of its recent order banning the import and sale of any new telecommunications equipment listed on its Covered List, which currently includes products from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua (see 2211300062), the FCC said in a notice published in the March 8 Federal Register.

Lawmakers applauded a recently approved Federal Communications Commission order that bars the importation and sale of any new telecommunications equipment listed on the FCC’s “Covered List,” which currently includes products from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua.

The Federal Communications Commission is exploring whether untrusted vendors should be excluded from the FCC equipment authorization program, acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said April 26 at a virtual workshop on supply chain security, held in conjunction with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. “When it comes to network security, the threats are real, the stakes are high, and our defenses need to constantly evolve and improve,” Rosenworcel said. Just saying no isn’t a strategy, “so we’re moving fast,” she said.

The Federal Communications Commission should strengthen the agency’s equipment authorization process to make sure no devices enter the U.S. that are produced with forced labor in China, Commissioner Brendan Carr said in a March 30 speech. The FCC's approach should align with legislation introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., earlier this year (see 2101290045), Carr said, according to a news release from his office. “We should do our part at the FCC by launching a proceeding that would update our equipment authorization rules to ensure that we are not approving any devices that have been produced with forced labor,” Carr said. “One way we can do this is by requiring every company that procures any devices or components from the [Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)] to meet a heightened burden to ensure that their supply chain does not rely on any forced labor. Communist China must not profit from their human rights abuses.”

CBP in Detroit seized about 4,600 remote-controlled helicopter drones worth some $69,000 that didn't “meet Federal Communications Commission labeling requirements,” the agency said in a June 3 news release. The goods, which were imported from China and were subject to Section 301 tariffs, were also found to be undervalued by about $62,000, CBP said. The imports “were seized June 1 in conjunction with a previous shipment containing more than $400,000 in counterfeit merchandise” that was seized in late May, the agency said.

The Federal Communications Commission should “allow an exception to the import rules for purposes of device advertising and retail display preparation,” said FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly in a June 2 blog post. FCC rules prohibit imports of radiofrequency devices that haven't received agency authorization. “While there are exceptions for the very limited importation of devices for trade shows, testing and evaluation, and a few other specific uses, this doesn’t accommodate the large percentage of consumers that simply want to see and touch products prior to purchase,” O'Rielly said.

The Federal Communications Commission granted a waiver for GE Healthcare to import, market and operate medical devices from new suppliers for use in healthcare facilities. The devices hadn’t been cleared under FCC equipment authorization rules. The order “benefits the public interest by allowing GEHC to overcome disruptions in the medical device supply chain as it addresses the surge in demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the declared state of national emergency,” a May 11 order by the Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology said.