Huawei wants court to declare measures against American watchdog FCC illegal

Huawei starts a lawsuit against the American FCC over the restrictions that the telecom watchdog wants to impose on providers. According to Huawei, there is no evidence that the company is a security threat and the measures are therefore illegal.

Huawei has filed the case with the Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Chinese manufacturer announced this at its own press conference, where, among other things, the chief legal officer gave an explanation.

With the lawsuit, Huawei wants to prevent the FCC from introducing the proposed restrictions. The American telecom watchdog wants providers to stop receiving subsidies if they do business with Chinese telecom giants, because they would pose a threat to national security.

Huawei says the measures are illegal. The FCC does not substantiate its “arbitrary findings” with evidence and that is against the US Constitution, the company says. Huawei also accuses the watchdog of not listening to objections raised by providers when the FCC first proposed restrictions in March 2018.

Many small carriers in the United States use the Universal Service Fund to purchase network equipment. Huawei says it supplies equipment to 40 small providers and claims that other companies wrote off those customers because they are too small.