FCC Commissioner Calls for Agency Action to Stop Imports of Devices Made With Forced labor

The Federal Communications Commission should strengthen the agency’s equipment authorization process to make sure no devices enter the U.S. that are produced with forced labor in China, Commissioner Brendan Carr said in a March 30 speech. The FCC's approach should align with legislation introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., earlier this year (see 2101290045), Carr said, according to a news release from his office. “We should do our part at the FCC by launching a proceeding that would update our equipment authorization rules to ensure that we are not approving any devices that have been produced with forced labor,” Carr said. “One way we can do this is by requiring every company that procures any devices or components from the [Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)] to meet a heightened burden to ensure that their supply chain does not rely on any forced labor. Communist China must not profit from their human rights abuses.”

“Communist China has made clear that it wants to dominate the global market for semiconductors and chipsets,” he said. “There is no reason to think they will refrain from using forced labor in pursuing that goal. This is yet another reason why we must require companies to be more vigilant and take additional actions to ensure that their supply chains are not supporting Communist China’s human rights abuses.”

Carr's office said that “under FCC rules, virtually no electronic device can be marketed, sold, or used in this country unless the device is approved by the FCC through the agency’s equipment authorization process. Right now, the FCC’s process contains no check on whether devices, including those that may originate from the XUAR, were produced with forced labor. “