United States of America: Opened consultation on FCC Equipment Authorization and Competitive Bidding Programs introducing public procurement measures

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened a consultation on the Equipment Authorization Program and the Competitive Bidding Program, which aim to secure the nation's critical communications networks. In particular, the consultation sought comments on the revision of the Commission’s equipment authorization rules to prohibit authorization of any equipment present on the "Covered List", and on the possibility to ask participants in competitive biddings a certification of no financial support from any entities labelled as a national security threat (for example, the Chinese companies ZTE and Huawei). The consultation will be closed on 20 September 2021.