Lawmakers and industry groups comment on FCC proposal targeting Huawei

Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) said that he was “pleased to see the [Federal Communications Commission] address the threat to network security posed by vendors such as Huawei and ZTE,” calling it a “critical first step.” But Vice Chairman Warner also said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai should have acted sooner and he "urged" the Trump administration to “work with Congress to pass legislation to help rural carriers remove legacy equipment and to harden the U.S. telecommunications supply chain." "There is a lot of work left to be done,” Warner added.

House Commerce Committee Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) said that he would “want to look at” the proposals before commenting on them, but that he was “probably supportive of them." Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), however, said that he “couldn’t talk” about the FCC's plans. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said, “I think that it is appropriate to look at Huawei and what their participation is." Sen Blackburn has previously accused China of building a “spy network” through the use of Huawei technologies.