FCC Covered List: what it is
The FCC Covered List is a list of communications equipment and services that the US government has decided pose a national security risk. The FCC keeps the list on its supply chain page.1 Congress set the legal base in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019.2 A 2021 law, the Secure Equipment Act, told the FCC to stop approving new equipment from listed companies.3
The list names Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua, all added on March 12, 2021.1 Later entries include Kaspersky software, some China-based carriers, foreign-made drones and routers.1
Hytera on the FCC Covered List
Hytera Communications Corporation is on the list for "video surveillance and telecommunications equipment." The listing applies "to the extent it is used" for public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure and other national security purposes.1
In plain words: the listing is tied to how the equipment is used, such as public-safety work, security of government facilities or surveillance of critical infrastructure. Hikvision and Dahua carry the same use-based wording.1 Whether Hytera's radios count as "video surveillance and telecommunications equipment" is Hytera's point of dispute, covered below.
Subsidiaries and affiliates of the listed companies are included.1
FCC ban on Hytera radios: timeline
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| March 12, 2021 | Hytera added to the Covered List for the uses above | FCC Covered List1 |
| November 11, 2021 | Secure Equipment Act becomes law | Federal Register4 |
| November 11, 2022 | FCC adopts order 22-84: no new authorizations for listed equipment | FCC 22-844 |
| February 6, 2023 | Order 22-84 takes effect; marketing and import of newly authorized covered equipment is prohibited | Federal Register4 |
| December 26, 2025 | Order 25-71 takes effect: the FCC can limit an existing authorization so import and marketing stop, without revoking it | Federal Register5 |
| July 16, 2026 | Importing and marketing already-authorized covered equipment added to the list in 2024 or earlier is prohibited (notice DA 26-635) | Federal Register6 |
| October 13, 2026 | Order 26-50 takes effect: closes the component-part loophole, sets a new critical-infrastructure definition, extends marketing rules to online marketplaces | Federal Register7 |
| March 1 and June 1, 2027 | Online marketplaces must show a valid FCC ID on listings (own-sales marketplaces first, third-party marketplaces second) | Federal Register7 |
What the FCC ban covers
New authorizations. Every transmitter sold in the US needs an FCC authorization, shown as an FCC ID. Since order 22-84 the FCC cannot grant new authorizations to covered equipment.4 For Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua the FCC said it would grant only conditional authorizations, and only after the full Commission approves a plan that keeps the equipment out of the named uses.4 In the notice of June 26, 2026, the FCC said it had not yet approved any such plan.6
Importing and marketing. Marketing means selling, leasing, offering, advertising, importing or distributing.8 Since July 16, 2026, importing and marketing already-authorized covered equipment for the named uses is prohibited.6 Order 25-71 also made clear that the ban reaches modular transmitters (radio modules built into other devices) and devices that contain covered modular transmitters.5
Components. Order 26-50 lets the FCC refuse devices that include logic-bearing hardware components (chips and other parts that process data) made by a Covered List company. Any modification of equipment by a Covered List company needs full certification.7
Critical infrastructure. The "critical infrastructure" part of the Hytera listing was on hold until the FCC defined the term. Order 26-50 adopted the definition, covering the 16 critical infrastructure sectors and the 55 National Critical Functions, effective October 13, 2026.7 In practice, from that date the surveillance-of-critical-infrastructure part counts like the other named uses.
What stays legal
- Radios you already own. The FCC states that the ban "does not affect the continued use or operation" of previously authorized covered equipment.6
- Hytera radios for other uses. The listing is use-based, so equipment for uses outside the named list is not what the notice targets.16
Spare parts and updates are not exempt: the FCC rejected Hytera's request to exempt them for covered uses.6
Hytera's position
Hytera says its land mobile radio and digital mobile radio products are not "video surveillance and telecommunications equipment," so the listing does not apply to them. The FCC did not rule on that point in the notice and called the argument unresponsive.6 Hytera-US also asked the FCC to lift its hold on pending applications. The FCC did not decide those applications in the notice.6
The FCC's third notice of proposed rulemaking, published August 7, 2026, is a proposal only. It would split the list into producer-based and production-location lists and cover white-labeled products.9 Check the current text with the FCC before you buy or sell.
What a US business should do with Hytera radios
| Situation | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You use Hytera radios on a construction site | You own the radios and use them for private work. Use is not affected.6 | Keep using them. Check that your work is not a public-safety or government job. |
| You run a security company with Hytera radios | Security work for government sites or critical infrastructure is a named use.1 | Check which of your contracts are public-safety, government or critical-infrastructure work before you buy more. |
| You work for a hospital, utility or city | Public safety, government and critical-infrastructure uses are the named ones.1 | Check each new purchase against the named uses and the model's FCC ID. |
| You buy new radios | New authorizations for Hytera are blocked until the FCC approves a plan.46 | Look up each model's FCC ID on the FCC site before you buy. |
| You sell used Hytera radios | Importing and marketing for the named uses has been prohibited since July 16, 2026.6 Marketplace FCC ID rules start in 2027.7 | Do not advertise them for public-safety, government or critical-infrastructure buyers. Keep listings accurate. |
For a Hytera model in our database, see the Hytera PD405. The radios in the table below are all Hytera models:
| Radio | Power | Water and dust | Claimed battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hytera PD405 | 5 W | IP55 | 12 h |
| Hytera PD485 | 5 W | IP54 | — |
| Hytera PD605 | 5 W | IP67 | 11 h |
| Hytera BD505 | 5 W | IP54 | 12 h |
| Hytera HP605 | 5 W | IP68 | 20 h |
| Hytera HP785 | — | IP68 | 24 h |
Check the FCC ID of any radio you plan to buy for US use.
Other companies on the FCC Covered List
Four more makers carry the same March 12, 2021 date: Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision and Dahua. Hikvision and Dahua have the same use-based wording as Hytera.1
Questions
Is Hytera banned in the US?
Not entirely. Hytera is on the Covered List only to the extent its equipment is used for public safety, government facilities, critical-infrastructure surveillance and other national security purposes.1 New authorizations are blocked, and import and marketing of authorized equipment for those uses has been prohibited since July 16, 2026.46
Can I keep using my Hytera radios?
Yes. The FCC says the ban does not affect continued use of previously authorized covered equipment.6
Can I still buy a new Hytera radio?
The FCC does not grant new authorizations to covered equipment. For Hytera it would do so only if the Commission approves a compliance plan, and none had been approved as of June 2026.46 Radios that already hold an authorization stay on sale for uses outside the named ones, so check the FCC ID before you buy.
When did the Hytera ban start?
Hytera joined the Covered List on March 12, 2021.1 The block on new authorizations took effect on February 6, 2023, and the import and marketing ban on July 16, 2026.46
Which companies are on the Covered List for communications equipment?
Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua, all added on March 12, 2021. Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua are listed for use-based purposes.1 The DMR radio guide explains the radio type Hytera sells.1
Does Hytera agree with the listing?
Hytera says its radios are not video surveillance and telecommunications equipment, so they are not covered. The FCC did not rule on that in the June 2026 notice.6
Sources
- FCC Covered List · FCC
- Second Report and Order, FCC 25-71 · Federal Register
- Third Report and Order, FCC 26-50 · Federal Register
- Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 26-50 · Federal Register
