US FCC Extends Import Ban to Cover Legacy Huawei and ZTE Equipment
Miles Bennett
The FCC announced on June 26 that previously certified legacy equipment from Huawei, ZTE, and three other Chinese firms now falls under its import ban, closing a loophole left by the 2022 rules. This means the last legal channel for Chinese telecom gear into the US market is being shut.
Why are legacy devices suddenly banned too?
The 2022 ban covered only new equipment from the five firms. Legacy models with existing certifications could still be legally imported and sold. This means → a "time-window loophole" let older gear keep flowing in.
The new rule brings legacy products listed on the "covered list" by end-2024 into the ban, covering public safety, government facilities, and critical infrastructure surveillance.
In plain terms = the old policy was "new gear blocked, old gear fine." Now it is "old and new alike — none gets in."
Do already-installed devices have to come out?
The FCC stated explicitly: equipment already purchased or deployed does not need to be removed or replaced.
The rule applies only to future imports, sales, and market distribution.
This means → organizations face no retrofit costs, but future procurement is fully cut off.
What else has the FCC blocked in the past two years?
December 2025: Chinese-made drones barred from the US market. March 2026: new Chinese consumer routers restricted.
October 2026: the FCC voted to block certification applications for devices containing components from "covered list" firms, and authorized revocation of existing certifications — Hikvision (海康威视) subsequently sued, arguing the FCC exceeded its statutory authority.
This reflects a regulatory logic shifting from "ban individual products" to "seal the entire supply-chain entry point."
Will drones and routers get the same legacy-device treatment?
Drone and router restrictions have not yet been extended to legacy certified products, unlike this telecom-equipment rule.
The two categories still operate under their own separate regulatory frameworks.
This means → the legacy loophole remains open in those sectors, but the telecom precedent could become the template for closing it.
Where does regulation go next?
In June the FCC tightened subsea communications cable rules, requiring landing-facility operators to obtain licenses for the first time and restricting equipment sourced from countries deemed security risks.
The FCC is also studying a plan to ban US telecom carriers from establishing network-interconnection agreements with Chinese carriers. In plain terms = if enacted, this would effectively block Chinese operators from running data-center businesses in the US.
This signals that the regulatory boundary is moving from "hardware devices" toward "infrastructure layers and cross-border network operations" — the key node to watch for the next policy moves.
Content is for reference only, not financial advice.