The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is turning its focus to device testing labs as part of its ongoing crackdown on Chinese technology. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the American agency is set to vote on April 30 on a proposal to bar Chinese labs from testing electronic devices such as smartphones, cameras and computers that will be used in the US. This vote comes after the FCC prohibited testing US electronics at labs owned or controlled by the Chinese government last year, which resulted in 23 labs being barred. However, the agency said that most China-based testing labs are still involved in testing US electronics, the Reuters report added.The FCC said around 75% of all electronics are tested in labs located in China, the Reuters report noted. The US agency also said it will review public comments after the vote before making a final decision on the ban. Before taking a final decision to prohibit all Chinese testing, the FCC will also vote separately on a plan to introduce a streamlined approval process for devices tested in US labs or in labs from countries that do not pose national security risks, the agency said. This marks another step by the US to address concerns related to Chinese technology and equipment.
How the US has been cracking down on Chinese technology over the years
Last week, the FCC proposed banning imports of Chinese equipment from a group of manufacturers, expanding on its earlier 2022 decision to stop approving new models. In 2021, the FCC added telecommunications and video surveillance equipment from Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua to its “covered list” of companies considered to pose US national security risks.The agency said it is now proposing to block imports of equipment from these Chinese companies that had been approved for sale in the US before the 2022 order. Hikvision said it “opposes the FCC’s attempt at retroactively removing previous, lawful authorizations.”In December 2025, the FCC banned imports of all new models of Chinese drones, and last month it restricted imports of new models of Chinese-made consumer routers used to connect devices to the internet. The FCC had earlier also barred some Chinese companies from offering telecommunications services in the US, citing national security concerns.
