S-4586-119
Read twice and referred to the Select Committee on Intelligence.
Sponsored by Rick Scott (R-FL)
What it does
This bill would require an appropriate national security agency to determine, within one year, whether communications equipment and services from six named Chinese technology companies — including DeepSeek, Unitree Robotics, DEEP Robotics, BrainCo, Manycore Tech, and Game Science Interactive — pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security. If no determination is made within that deadline, or if a risk is found, the FCC would be required to add those products and services to its "covered list" of prohibited communications equipment under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019. The bill would also direct the Secretary of Defense to evaluate whether any of these companies should be designated as Chinese military companies under existing law.
Who benefits
U.S. national security agencies and policymakers who would gain a formal, time-bound review mechanism. Domestic technology and robotics companies that compete with the named Chinese firms and could gain market share if those products are restricted. Telecommunications providers and consumers who use networks that would be cleared of potentially compromised equipment. Defense contractors and federal agencies that procure communications technology. Cybersecurity firms that may be engaged to assist with reviews or replacements.
Who is hurt
The six named companies and their subsidiaries, affiliates, joint venture partners, and licensees, who face potential market exclusion in the United States. U.S. businesses, researchers, and consumers who currently use or rely on products from these companies — including users of DeepSeek's AI services and Unitree Robotics hardware. Academic and research institutions that use these technologies. U.S. importers and distributors of the named companies' products. Potentially, U.S.-China trade relations broadly, which could face retaliatory pressure.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that Chinese technology companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or People's Liberation Army pose documented data collection and espionage risks, pointing to prior FCC actions against Huawei and ZTE as evidence that such threats are real and actionable. They contend that AI systems like DeepSeek and robotics platforms like Unitree operate in sensitive domains — data processing and physical environments — where security vulnerabilities could have serious national security consequences, and that a formal, time-bound review process is a measured, evidence-based response rather than a blanket ban.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the bill pre-selects specific companies by name without requiring any prior finding of wrongdoing, effectively prejudging the outcome of the review and raising due process concerns for companies with U.S. operations or partnerships. They contend that singling out firms by name in legislation — rather than through an agency-led, evidence-based process — sets a precedent that could invite reciprocal targeting of U.S. tech companies abroad, and that the automatic addition to the FCC covered list if no determination is made within one year creates a de facto ban driven by bureaucratic delay rather than demonstrated risk.