Consumer electronic supply chain at risk, FCC says in proposing new rules

Thousands of computers and other consumer electronic devices imported into the U.S. that were certified as safe by foreign laboratories have been identified as having links to the Chinese government or military, Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), said Thursday in announcing an order to close the security gap.

To immediately curb this potential security threat, the FCC approved an order Thursday that prohibits any testing lab that is owned 10 percent or more by a known threat or foreign adversary. A known threat is any entity included on the FCC’s covered list or the list maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense of companies owned by the Chinese military.

The FCC has been responsible for certifying foreign laboratories, mainly to ensure they comply with the FCC’s technical rules pertaining to power levels and spectrum bands, Carr said Thursday during an FCC meeting.