A review conducted by the FCC found that many recognized labs ‘potentially have deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party.’
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has denied applications for recognition from a second batch of China-controlled “bad labs,” which refer to labs that review and approve electronics for use in the United States, but are under the control of a foreign adversary, the agency said in a Sept. 26 statement.
Earlier this month, the FCC took action against 11 labs controlled by China.
In its latest statement, the agency announced that lab recognition applications from four additional labs have been denied by the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET).
The FCC has so far “begun proceedings to withdraw recognition or denied applications” from 15 labs controlled by Beijing.
Private labs and certification entities oversee the testing and certification of all devices imported into the United States for sale, ensuring they do not contain any prohibited equipment that poses a threat to U.S. national security. These entities also ensure the devices comply with FCC regulations.
Denying China-controlled labs the testing and certification powers lowers the risk of U.S.-bound devices containing Chinese spy equipment.
“President [Donald] Trump is leading the charge to reshore America’s industrial capacity and safeguard our critical supply chains from foreign adversary nations,” said FCC chairman Brendan Carr.
“Today’s FCC action on ‘Bad Labs’ will continue to do just that.
“Foreign adversary governments should not own and control the labs that test the devices the FCC certifies as safe for the U.S. market. This is an important step in restoring trust in the Commission’s equipment authorization process and combating foreign adversary threats.”
In its latest action, OET denied the initial application for recognition from CCIC-CSA International Certification Co., Ltd, based in Guangdong, China.
OET also denied applications for lab renewal from the following Chinese entities: Industrial Internet Innovation Center (Shanghai), State Radio Monitoring Center, and Reliability Laboratory-New H3C Technologies Co. Ltd.
The denial of recognition applications follows the FCC’s adoption of new rules on May 22, which ban bad labs from electronics testing processes. At the time, Carr stated that approximately 75 percent of electronics are tested by laboratories in China.
