US FCC Invokes New Rules for the First Time, Banning Two Devices Equipped with HiSilicon Hi3516CV610 Chips

On October 22 local time, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) exercised for the first time a new power it had just obtained earlier this month, blocking two end products equipped with the UHD Smart Vision SoC Hi3516CV610—produced by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon—from entering the U.S. market on the grounds that they contain "foreign surveillance chips."

The new rules, which took effect on October 13 this year, give the FCC a capability it previously lacked: even if the complete device is manufactured by a third-party vendor not on the restricted list, as long as the device internally uses hardware components with logic-processing capability produced by companies on the "Covered List," the FCC can reject its equipment certification application, thereby cutting off its path to sale in the United States.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement that video devices containing such surveillance chips "pose a clear and unacceptable risk to the nation and our people."

According to Reuters and multiple foreign media reports, the two blocked devices are a dashcam and a wireless video transmitter/wireless video transmission device.

The FCC did not specify the manufacturers of the two devices, nor did it disclose how it discovered that HiSilicon chips were installed in the devices. An analysis by foreign media outlet DroneXL pointed out that the FCC's announcement did not explain whether the applicant voluntarily disclosed the relevant components, nor was it clear whether reviewers identified chip packages bearing the HiSilicon logo from the internal device photos that must be submitted with certification applications.

Why the Hi3516CV610?

The FCC identified the Hi3516CV610 as a "foreign surveillance chip," mainly based on HiSilicon's own product marketing. The FCC cited relevant materials stating that HiSilicon described the chip as "designed for the surveillance market" and noted that it features "built-in face detection algorithms." In the FCC's chain of logic, the chip's functional description and the manufacturer's affiliation together constitute the basis for the determination.

HiSilicon itself does not appear as an independent entity on the FCC's restricted list, but its parent company Huawei has been on the list since March 2021. The list's notes explicitly state that subsidiaries and affiliated entities of listed companies are also subject to the relevant restrictions. Therefore, HiSilicon's chips fall within the scope of the ban.

From a technical standpoint, the Hi3516CV610 is a system-on-chip that converts raw camera sensor signals into usable video output, commonly found in home security cameras, dashcams and similar products.

The Verge's report also noted that on e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress, the chip is often sold together with Sony image sensors, and some listings even come with lenses pre-installed.

Closing the "component loophole"

The core of the FCC's action is mainly an attempt to close what it sees as a long-standing "regulatory gap." Previously, companies on the restricted list could not directly sell their complete devices to the United States, but the chips, communication modules and other components they produce could still enter the U.S. market through other manufacturers' complete products. The new rules, approved by the FCC in July and effective in October, are precisely intended to extend scrutiny from "device brands" to "the source of internal components."

This is not the first time the FCC has expanded its authority in a similar way. Previously, the FCC has successively given itself the power to impose retroactive bans on already-marketed devices and the ability to intercept modular radio transmitters. Extending its reach to the component level this time is seen as a continuation of this regulatory logic.

In a further legislative proposal released alongside the new rules, the FCC proposed that in the future device applicants may be required to submit a hardware bill of materials (HBOM) and a software bill of materials (SBOM) during certification, disclosing item by item the components with logic-processing capability and their countries of origin. If this proposal is ultimately implemented, FCC equipment certification will evolve from a review of technical standards into an item-by-item traceability review of the supply chain. The U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association has expressed opposition, arguing that mandatory submission of complete bills of materials could expose trade secrets and impose a heavy administrative burden on complex supply chains.

Impact and controversy

Like the FCC's previous restrictive measures targeting routers, robots and other products, this action also faces an old question: is it genuinely enhancing security, or is it carrying out industrial selection in the name of enforcement?

The Verge said bluntly in its report that this question has never received a direct response from the FCC. The outlet said it had contacted the FCC multiple times seeking dialogue on its regulatory actions, but the agency declined to engage.

DroneXL's commentary raised criticism from another angle: the blocking information published by the FCC this time lacks the device's FCC ID or authorization code, which means other companies that have purchased the same camera module have no way to verify whether they face the same compliance risk. "An enforcement action that no one can verify teaches the market nothing."

Currently, Huawei and HiSilicon have not yet made any public response to the matter.