The US Senate has voted unanimously to green-light legislation to prevent businesses such as Huawei and ZTE from being given new equipment licenses from US regulators as they are seen as security threats, reports Reuters. The Secure Equipment Act, the latest effort by the US government to clamp down on Chinese telecom and tech firms, was approved last week by the US House on a 420-4 vote, and now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature.
The measure would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reviewing or issuing new equipment licenses to companies on the FCC’s “Covered Equipment or Services List.”
“Chinese state-directed companies like Huawei and ZTE are known national security threats and have no place in our telecommunications network,” Republican Senator Marco Rubio said.
In March, the FCC designated five Chinese companies as posing a threat to national security under a 2019 law aimed at protecting US communications networks.