Trump Helping ZTE Re-Open for U.S. Business
President Donald Trump has signaled that ZTE will be allowed to do business with U.S. suppliers once again.
That came in a tweet (see below) blaming Democrats for not cracking down on the company.
[embed]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1000151354701213696[/embed]
Commerce Department officials had concluded ZTE violated the terms of its settlement agreement with the U.S. over illegally shipping telecom equipment to Iran and North Korea and declared that U.S. companies would be prohibited from exporting technology to ZTE. That move resulted in ZTE essentially shuttering and calling the U.S. move unfair.
Related: Pai Supports U.S. Ban on USF Funds to Chinese Tech Suppliers
The Chinese government then tried to get the President to help ZTE, an effort that appeared to be bearing fruit per an earlier tweet before the President's latest tweet on the subject confirmed it.
Related: Rubio Praises Ban of Tech from Bases
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ZTE tech includes everything from phones, tablets and smartwatches to mobile hot spots, broadband routers, switchers and servers.
The President's tweet followed House passage of a bill that would eventually ban ZTE tech from government systems.
Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.