House Passes NDAA With 3 Amendments Addressing Huawei, ZTE Concerns

The House voted 220-197 Friday to pass its version of the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (HR-2500), which includes three amendments addressing concerns about Chinese telecom equipment manufacturers Huawei and ZTE (see 1907110037). One, led by Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., would impose conditions for the Department of Commerce to lift Bureau of Industry and Security addition of Huawei to its entity list (see 1906190054). A second Gallagher-led proposal would direct the president to submit a report to Congress on ZTE's compliance with a 2018 agreement that lifted Commerce's ban on U.S. companies selling telecom software and equipment to ZTE (see 1807130048). “There are many shortcomings in this year's NDAA, but one positive” is inclusion of the anti-Huawei/ZTE amendments, he tweeted Thursday. Commerce officials said at a BIS conference the department plans to issue multiple guidance documents on its blacklisting of Huawei due to the large number of questions from U.S. exporters. Language from Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., would restrict use of telecom equipment made by companies originating in countries that are U.S. adversaries at DOD installations in U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean. The Senate passed its 2020 NDAA version (S-1790) in June without language from proposed anti-Huawei amendments (see 1906270051). HR-2500 also includes an amendment led by Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., that would attach language from the 911 Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (Saves) Act (HR-1629/S-1015). It would change the federal government's classification of public safety call-takers and dispatchers to “protective service occupations" (see 1904050054).