The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously on Thursday to advance a proposal that would strip every testing lab in China and Hong Kong of its ability to certify electronics for sale in the U.S., according to a Reuters report.

The FCC estimates that roughly 75% of all U.S.-bound electronics are currently tested in Chinese facilities, a level that the agency now considers a national security risk. FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the commission is pursuing actions to limit the interconnection capabilities of entities it considers security threats.

Article continues below

27 of the affected facilities are Chinese subsidiaries of major Western testing firms, including Intertek, SGS, TUV Rheinland, and Bureau Veritas. Those companies operate labs in the U.S., Europe, and Taiwan that can absorb redirected work, but the shift won’t be seamless. Basic FCC certification testing runs between $400 and $1,300 at Chinese labs, compared with $3,000 to $4,000 at U.S. equivalents.

The FCC already banned 15 state-owned or government-affiliated Chinese labs between September and February under its original "Bad Labs" order. Thursday's vote extends that prohibition to all remaining labs in China, regardless of ownership.

In a separate 3-0 vote, the commission also advanced a proposal to ban China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom from operating data centers in the U.S. The FCC had previously revoked those companies' retail telecom licenses but hadn’t addressed their remaining wholesale and infrastructure operations. The new proposal would also consider banning U.S. carriers from interconnecting with any company on the FCC's national security "Covered List" or any carrier using equipment from Huawei or ZTE.

Thursday's vote opens a public comment period expected to last 60 to 90 days, followed by a final rule and transition period. The FCC has been steadily expanding its restrictions on Chinese technology, banning imports of new foreign-made consumer routers in March, new foreign-made drones in December, and proposing restrictions on Chinese involvement in undersea cables last year.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

Luke James is a freelance writer and journalist.  Although his background is in legal, he has a personal interest in all things tech, especially hardware and microelectronics, and anything regulatory.