FCC Enforces First Component-Level Ban: HiSilicon Chips Block Two Devices from US Market

On October 22, 2026, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced its first enforcement action under new component-control rules voted in July 2026 and effective October 13, 2026 (Order 26-50). The FCC denied market access to two devices — a vehicle dashcam and a wireless video transmission device — because both incorporate chips produced by HiSilicon, a Huawei subsidiary listed on the FCC's Covered List.

Regulatory Shift: From Brand Ban to Component Ban

The previous rules only prohibited equipment manufactured by listed entities such as Huawei and ZTE themselves; third-party products that procured those companies' chips could still obtain FCC certification. The new regime moves the restriction down to the component level: any device that integrates a "covered" intelligent component — defined as a chip or module with logical processing capability (SoC, baseband, Wi-Fi, video-processing ICs, etc.) from a Covered List entity — is ineligible for FCC equipment authorization. Passive components such as resistors and enclosures remain outside the scope.

Devices and Chip Details

Device 1: Vehicle dashcam

Device 2: Wireless video transmission device

Core chip: HiSilicon Hi3516CV610, an UHD smart-vision SoC targeting surveillance and video-recording applications with integrated face-detection algorithms.

Neither device had yet received an FCC equipment grant or entered the US market; the FCC terminated their certification processes outright.

Distinct from Export Controls on Chip Manufacturing

The article distinguishes this FCC action from the US Department of Commerce's 2020 Entity List restrictions, which bar global foundries from using US technology to fabricate chips for HiSilicon. The FCC's measure governs downstream market access for finished devices that already contain HiSilicon silicon, representing a separate regulatory track.

Stated Rationale

The FCC asserts that intelligent chips from covered entities destined for surveillance markets — with built-in face-detection firmware — pose "unacceptable national security risks" due to potential hardware or firmware backdoors. FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly endorsed the enforcement.