Commerce Renews Temporary General License for Huawei

The Commerce Department renewed the temporary general license for Huawei and 114 of its non-U.S. affiliates until April 1, Commerce said in a notice. The 45-day extension is the third extension granted to Commerce since it was placed on the Entity List in May (see 1905160072). The previous extension was set to expire on Feb. 16. License applications will continue to be reviewed under a presumption of denial. The notice is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Feb. 18.

In an emailed news release, Commerce said the general license extension will allow existing telecommunications providers in rural U.S. regions the ability to continue operating networks while they search for alternatives to Huawei as equipment provider. The agency said it will “determine the need” for another extension during the next 45 days.

In November, Commerce officials said the agency reviewed some of the nearly 300 license applications for Huawei and began issuing approvals and denials on a rolling basis (see 1911200041). A bipartisan group of senators has asked Commerce to refrain from granting any Huawei-related export licenses, saying that granting them would pose significant national security risks to the U.S. (see 1911210050).