Taking Back Our Stolen History
FCC Bans Chinese Huawei From Selling In The US
FCC Bans Chinese Huawei From Selling In The US

FCC Bans Chinese Huawei From Selling In The US

The US government has finally taken some action against China.

All equipment made by Chinese companies Huawei Technologies and the ZTE Corporation cannot be sold in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission announced.

Fox Business reported: 

The Federal Communications Commission announced on Friday that all equipment made by Chinese companies Huawei Technologies and the ZTE Corporation cannot be sold in the United States.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr said in the announcement that devices made by Hytera Communications, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, and Dahua Technology will not be approved for sale in the U.S. unless they assure that the devices “won’t be used for public safety, security of government facilities, & other national security purposes.”

The vote was unanimous.

The Epoch Times reported:

By unanimous vote, the FCC concluded that the products posed an “unacceptable risk to [the] national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons,” according to a statement.

“The FCC is committed to protecting our national security by ensuring that untrustworthy communications equipment is not authorized for use within our borders, and we are continuing that work here,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

“These new rules are an important part of our ongoing actions to protect the American people from national security threats involving telecommunications.”

Former Trump NSC staffer Joshua Steinman explained the behind-the-scenes story about what happened with Huawei.

He called the banning a “big deal” but warned there are hundreds of Chinese companies operating in the US which he believes pose a significant risk to the United States.

From Joshua Steinman:

A stream-of-consciousness thread in celebration of a great professional victory, nearly four years in the making.

>> We finally banned Huawei

US Bans Huawei, ZTE Telecoms Gear Over Security Risk
US authorities announced a ban Friday on the import or sale of communications equipment deemed “an unacceptable risk to national security” — including gear from Chinese giants Huawei Technologies and…

https://www.barrons.com/news/us-bans-huawei-zte-telecoms-gear-over-security-risk-01669417806

Early 2018. I had been a senior staffer on the National Security Council for a year, running the Cyber portfolio.

One month prior, an un-vetted proposal from another staffer leaked to the press, proposing to nationalize America’s forthcoming 5G network.

Proposals of this magnitude go through EXTENSIVE vetting before getting shared outside the WH. In this case, the staffer played it fast and loose.

The blowback was HUGE.

And so the National Security Advisor called me in to his office and reassigned 5G to me + my team.

My team came in, established a deliberative process, and got back to work.

Things calmed down.

And the quiet afforded us to dig very deep into the strategic landscape.

2018 seemed like it was going to be a critical year for the telecom industry:

4G rollout was finishing
> Telcos we’re starting to look at 5G
> Buying decisions would start late in the year and roll through 2019/2020

From the technological standpoint, it was an interesting time for consumer demand for wireless capacity:

rapid growth of IOT devices
> live-streaming was growing in popularity

From an industrial perspective, it was becoming apparent that two Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturers — Huawei and ZTE — were gunning to “lead” the global rollout of 5G networks.

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Finally, on the macroeconomic front, the ÇÇP’s “One Belt, One Road” Initiative was in full swing, seeking to tie all of Eurasia together in a single logistical web of mercantilist design.

They were out buying ports, selling their construction services, and more.

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This was the context for our NSC team as we asked “what ought the US policy be for 5G networks?”

It wasn’t an easy task.

Inside the government there are A LOT of competing power centers.

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Suffice it to say, the team — composed of senior representatives from nearly every Department and Agency in the National Security apparatus — ultimately agreed that Huawei and ZTE posed a national security threat to the US.

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We arrived at this conclusion after looking at a wide range of information, including open-source reporting of how Huawei in many cases served as an extension of the intelligence services of the ÇÇP —

https://www.wsj.com/articles/huawei-technicians-helped-african-governments-spy-on-political-opponents-11565793017

As the person now responsible for coordinating all national security telecommunications policy for the United States (in addition to cyber), I saw it slightly differently.

I saw 5G policy through the lens of a great essay by @vgr – breakingsmart.com/en/season-1/

Inspired by @pmarca’s “Software is Eating the World,” @vgr’s 2015 essay reframed the internet as a technology akin to money, or steam power – enabling rapid transformation of society by radically reducing friction.

I had similar thoughts at the time: medium.com/@AreDangerousM…

And so, “now,” (2018), I saw the 5G problem as one that had grand implications. Of the Chinese Communist Party seeking to control the very fabric of the information reality.

We had to stop it.

Our timing was excellent. My team had already been working on the nation’s first ever National Cyber Strategy. We rolled 5G into it, and by late 2018, President Trump signed it: trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/upl…

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But, ask anyone who has worked in Washington, the publication of a White House strategy is when the work BEGINS.