U.S. restrictions on authorizing devices with Huawei components in effect since October 13
Key Facts
U.S. restrictions on authorizing devices containing Huawei hardware components with logic functions took effect on October 13, 2026, according to the Federal Communications Commission's text published in the Federal Register. The commission adopted the order on July 22, 2026, expanding the restrictions from devices produced by listed companies to components other companies use in their products. The ban covers devices containing such components from entities on the Covered List, provided the device itself would be prohibited if made entirely by the listed entity. The hardware component supplier thus becomes part of the conditions determining a device's eligibility for authorization, even when the finished product carries another brand. The component ban applies to new authorization applications, with provisions exempting previously approved devices and some applications pending when it took effect. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the measure aims to "close the component loophole fully," according to Reuters.
The measure stems from restrictions in place since 2022 that barred devices from listed companies, including Huawei, from receiving new authorizations, according to Reuters. But devices containing components from those companies remained eligible for authorization, a distinction the new rules targeted. Before adopting the ban, the agency said the regulatory gap had allowed electronics, such as smartphones, containing chips designed by Huawei's chip design unit HiSilicon to be sold in the United States. The commission says a component with logic functions, if compromised, could enable communications interception or disruption, sabotage or unauthorized access, regardless of who assembles or brands the finished device. Chris McGuire, a former U.S. National Security Council official, told Reuters that "compromised components, particularly semiconductors and communications equipment, can be used to compromise entire devices." Huawei did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment when it published its coverage of the vote on the order.
The commission limited the scope of components subject to the ban to hardware with logic functions, excluding purely mechanical or passive components from the definition. Exemptions include enclosures, fasteners, resistors, wires and simple battery cells, according to the regulatory text. The commission also did not extend the component ban to software or firmware. On authorizations, the rule kept previously approved devices outside the scope of the prospective ban, meaning its entry into force does not automatically revoke their authorizations. It also exempted authorization applications pending when it took effect. However, that exemption no longer applies if a pending application is amended to add, replace or change a component with logic functions.
Some compliance requirements extend to online platforms, with platforms marketing unauthorized devices subject to enforcement of marketing rules on the same basis as others, according to the commission. This does not require proof that the platform knew of the violation or committed it intentionally. The commission estimated initial one-time implementation costs at no more than $300 million, mostly to update platform systems. It estimated recurring costs at less than $40 million annually. Most of that annual spending is associated with including FCC identifiers in device listings on platforms.
Compliance deadlines for displaying the FCC identifier begin on March 1, 2027, for platforms that possess or own the devices. For platforms relying on third-party sellers' declarations, the commission set a compliance deadline of June 1, 2027. The regulatory timetable thus distinguishes between listings for devices in a platform's possession or ownership and listings based on declarations by outside sellers. For products' outer packaging, the commission has not currently mandated display of the identifier. But it left the issue open for further consideration, according to the text published in the Federal Register.