FCC bans dashcam and transmitter over hidden Huawei chip

The Federal Communications Commission has banned two consumer electronics products from sale in the United States for the first time under a new regulatory framework. The ban applies to a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter. Both devices were blocked because they contain a specific chip made by HiSilicon. The rule targets the internal silicon rather than the product's brand or model name.

This action closes a loophole that allowed rebranded products with Chinese components to remain on the market. HiSilicon is a subsidiary of Huawei, a company listed on the FCC's Covered List of entities considered a national security risk. The agency can now halt sales based on the parts inside a device instead of tracking individual product labels.

The chip at the center of the ban is the Hi3516CV610 UHD Smart Vision system on a chip. It is designed for surveillance and camera systems. The component includes WiFi, Ethernet, video encoding hardware, and an Arm Cortex-A7 processor. Most notably, it contains a neural processing unit designed for artificial intelligence tasks.

The FCC focused on the neural processing unit because it contains logic-bearing smart components made by a Covered List entity. The chip's documentation states that its Intelligent Video Engine uses a built-in multimodal large model. This allows the AI to track relationships between objects in video frames. It maintains attention on subjects such as pets, faces, and parcels. For users, this means the camera can distinguish between a pet moving and a person taking a package.

The agency argues that this same AI logic could be used to survey US citizens and log faces for foreign surveillance. Huawei has faced previous scrutiny in the US market. The company previously used shell companies to manufacture AI chips through TSMC despite US export restrictions. Those earlier controversies contributed to the current regulatory posture.

The new rule reflects a shift in how the FCC monitors interstate communications. Under the Communications Act of 1934, the agency has authority over both wired and wireless communications. This legal basis supports the expansion of the FCC's reach into the specific hardware components used in these devices.

The ban takes effect immediately for the two identified products. Manufacturers must stop marketing the dashboard camera and the video transmitter in the US. The FCC will continue to review other devices for similar silicon from Covered List entities. The agency has not announced additional bans at this time.