CES 2023: China Policy Must Account for Trade Concerns, Commissioner Simington Says

LAS VEGAS, January 7, 2023 – As the Federal Communications Commission regulates to combat foreign cyberthreats, it must remain remain “flexible,” “adaptable,” and “responsive to industry,” Commissioner Nathan Simington told an audience Saturday morning at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Questioned on the FCC’s decision in November to halt its authorizations of foreign communications equipment that is considered dangerous to national security, Simington said that regulators must ensure that America remains open to global technology and trade, even as they strive to protect consumers from foreign surveillance.

The FCC’s action sought to limit U.S.-market access for Chinese technology companies – including Huawei and ZTE  – that have been accused of gathering Americans’ data and making them available to the Chinese Communist Party.

Simington stated that the commission was in “a little bit of an emergency phase.”

“Blanket bans are a tool of limited usefulness,” the commissioner said. “You always give something up when you do a blanket ban – that doesn’t mean it was an inappropriate policy tool at the time it was chosen.” Simington added that the commission should design future initiatives to be maximally permissive while still protecting American security interests.

To secure domestic devices, Simington in December proposed mandating that manufacturers provide iterative updates for their products over a set period of time. The need for robust cybersecurity, particularly since the popularization of Internet of Things devices, has been an oft-occurring theme at CES 2023. On Friday, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., called for increased federal investments in advanced technologies to keep pace with Chinese innovation.