The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has announced three additions to the List of Communications Equipment and Services (Covered List) that have been determined to pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security. The Commission’s rules require it to place an entity on the Covered list if an enumerated source determines that the entity poses an unacceptable national security risk. Two of those enumerated sources are the Department of Homeland Security and the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector, formerly known as Team Telecom.
The Department of Homeland Security identified AO Kaspersky Lab and Team Telecom identified China Mobile International USA Inc. and China Telecom (Americas) Corp as national security risks. Inclusion on the list blocks U.S. companies from using FCC funds to purchase communications equipment and services from those entities. The updated Covered List is published on the FCC’s website here.
