FCC Urged to Investigate Wearable Health Devices
The Senate Committee on Aging expressed concern that personal data from monitoring devices is being used by China.
WASHINGTON, June 22, 2026 – The Federal Communications Commission has been urged to assess the potential national security risks of Chinese manufactured modular transmitters embedded in health wearable devices.
In a letter to the FCC on Thursday, members of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. and Sen. David McCornick, R- Pa., expressed their concerns over the devices because one of China’s dominant cellular Internet of Things manufacturers, Quectel, was added to the 1260 H List.
The 1260 H List classifies Quectel as a Chinese military company because the U.S. government believes the company is contributing to China’s Military-Civil Fusion strategy, a policy where commercial technology developments are shared with the Chinese military.
Domestic cybersecurity law in China requires companies to provide access to data and technology upon demand. This means every device sold by a Chinese-based wearable manufacturer and sensitive personal information could be accessible to Beijing without the user's consent.
In the letter, Scott and McCormick the senators requested a briefing with the FCC.
“While consumers, including seniors believe that their health wearables may be completely secure, the unfortunate reality indicates that in all likelihood, the most intimate details of their health may be accessible by a foreign adversarial government,” senators wrote.
Seniors rely on these fitness devices to track their health and offer emergency care by transmitting data wirelessly when needed. These devices collect personal health information that could be used to train artificial intelligence, the senators argued.
“While the threat of Chinese health wearable data exfiltration affects all Americans, we are especially concerned about the risk to senior citizens who increasingly rely on specific categories of connected health monitoring devices primarily designed and marketed for their use,” explained Scott and McCormick.
The committee is compelling the FCC to review foreign adversary-manufactured modular transmitters and certain categories of health products including: personal emergency response systems and fall detection wearables, smartwatches and fitness trackers, remote blood pressure and cardiac monitors, continuous glucose monitors and metabolic wearables, smart hearing aids and auditory health devices and home-based remote patient monitoring devices.
The senators said they look forward to coordinating with the FCC on the briefing request and asked for a response by close of business July 15.
