FCC's first Huawei-chip ban blocks two devices

The FCC has used new rules for the first time to block two devices from entering the U.S. market: a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter, both containing chips made by HiSilicon, a Huawei subsidiary. The agency cited HiSilicon’s marketing of the chip for surveillance systems and its built-in human-face detection algorithms, while saying the devices had not yet received authorization. The rules, which took effect October 13, extend restrictions on companies on the FCC’s Covered List to components made by their subsidiaries, aiming to prevent those parts from being incorporated into another manufacturer’s products. The FCC has not identified the devices’ manufacturers or explained how it discovered the chips; critics have questioned whether such enforcement meaningfully improves security or amounts to picking market winners.