Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., asked the FCC Thursday to investigate foreign entities of concern (FEOC) “that broadcast on U.S. airwaves to determine if those entities pose a significant national security risk to the American public, and use existing FCC authorities to deter future partnerships between FEOCs and television networks.” Banks and Scott cited a trio of ads for Chinese retail application Temu during the 2024 Super Bowl broadcast where the company “offered $15 million worth of giveaways on their questionable products. Temu is known to flood the United States with cheap goods produced by forced labor in [China] while exploiting the de-minimis loophole to avoid enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act.” U.S. broadcasters “should not platform [Chinese Communist Party] -linked companies who actively violate U.S. laws and do not comply with the same standards as U.S. manufacturers,” the senators said in a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. They noted that the U.S. Trade Representative’s office has repeatedly placed Temu's China-based parent company, Pinduoduo, on its notorious markets list for intellectual property theft, “copyright piracy, and selling counterfeit goods.”
A senior research analyst from Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology cautioned Thursday that in some locations the cost of replacing Chinese hardware in information technology networks with more expensive alternatives outweighs the benefits. Jack Corrigan told the China Economic and Security Review Commission at a Thursday hearing that procurement bans should be targeted at "high-risk sectors, networks and use cases."
The federal government is increasingly rife with spectrum fiefdoms among agencies, contrary to the FCC's core purpose as a centralized point of spectrum policy decision-making, Commissioner Brendan Carr said Wednesday during the Practicing Law Institute's annual telecom policy and regulation seminar. He said updating memorandums of understanding would help, but ultimately there must be deference to the expert agency making a final decision. Such "devolution" of spectrum policy will be a permanent fixture, but that trend needs some reversing, he said.
The U.S. and its trade allies increasingly worry about the “digital authoritarianism” by China and other “undemocratic” countries, including “intrusive surveillance and censorship,” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in Q&A at a Georgetown Law Center virtual conference Wednesday. Their practices can “influence the ability of Americans to enjoy their civil liberties right here at home,” she said. “We will have to ask ourselves hard questions,” including whether digital commerce can “facilitate imports that are made with forced labor,” or if it can “exacerbate problems in illegal trade,” she said. The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry didn’t comment. Answering tough questions about digital commerce “is part of making sure that our domestic and foreign policies are aligned,” said Tai. "A lot of our thinking around traditional trade policies is still extremely relevant when applying the digital trade context.” Tai's prepared remarks are here. Also Wednesday, the Bureau of Industry and Security said it's adding companies including NSO to a list restricting exports due to surveillance concerns (see 2111030042).
Imported Apple products should be subject to a withhold release order (WRO) from Customs and Border Protection and be blocked at the ports from entering the U.S. due to possible involvement of Chinese forced labor in their production, said the Campaign for Accountability (CfA) in a Monday filing. The seizure of Apple imports "credibly tied to forced labor would be consistent with" other recent CBP enforcement actions, said the nonprofit. "There is now compelling evidence that Apple iPhones, computers, and other products should be added to the list." CfA believes "there is sufficient evidence to conclude that Apple, the world’s most valuable company, is in violation of the Tariff Act," said Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith. By issuing a WRO and preventing the importation of Apple products linked to forced labor, CBP "has the power to compel Apple into action beyond its blanket, face-saving denials,” she said. Lawmakers asked Apple in June to work closely with CBP to be sure iPhones and other products are free of forced-labor entanglements. Apple didn't comment Monday but claimed previously its supply chains are free of forced labor. "Apple’s repeated claims to have 'thoroughly investigated' the forced labor issue are suspect, given the evidence that such factory inspections appear to be challenging, if not impossible, in China," CfA said. The group made the filing through CBP's e-Allegations portal to report suspected trade law violations. Recent Department of Homeland Security records said CBP typically accepts or rejects WRO petitions within 30 days.