Huawei sues FCC in bid to fight off U.S. restrictions

Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Huawei said Thursday it has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, in an effort to rollback the agency's restrictions on the Chinese telecommunications company in the United States.

The company argues in the suit, filed in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, that a recent FCC decision that prevents companies from using federal subsidies to buy Huawei equipment is political in nature.

Huawei, China's largest tech company by sales, argues that it wasn't given due process and was hindered by a U.S. government ban that labeled the company a national security threat.

"Banning a company like Huawei, just because we started in China -- this does not solve cybersecurity challenges," Huawei attorney Song Liuping told reporters Thursday. "Huawei also submitted 21 rounds of detailed comments, explaining how the order will harm people and businesses in remote areas. The FCC ignored them all."

At a NATO summit in London this week, President Donald Trump voiced concern for Huawei's new 5G cellular network and warned other world leaders.

The U.S. government has recently granted licenses to U.S. companies, including Microsoft, that allow them to resume conducting business with Huawei.