Commerce Drafts Rule for US Participation in 5G Standards Bodies

The Commerce Department drafted a regulation on U.S. companies participating in 5G standards-setting bodies involving Huawei. The rule is being discussed internally, said Matt Borman, deputy assistant secretary for export administration, at the department’s Information Systems Technical Advisory Committee meeting. Borman said the rule “will go a long way” toward addressing concerns from lawmakers and industry. Stakeholders said export controls hinder U.S. participation in standards-setting bodies, potentially ceding 5G leadership (see 2004100017). “That's what this draft reg is looking to get at,” Borman said Wednesday. “We certainly don’t want a situation where U.S. companies refrain from participating and then leave the standards field open to Huawei and other companies.” Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security is continuing to process license applications for exports to Huawei, Borman added. “There's still a review as to whether additional regulatory steps will be taken vis-a-vis Huawei,” he said. “Those are still kind of under review internally.”