Denver

Denver Alerts

Alert

Picture of the Denver skyline with DEN written across it.

blue

Get smarter, faster on what matters in Denver with Alayna Alvarez, John Frank, and Esteban L. Hernandez.

Axios Denver

Standard

Axios Denver Partners

Axios Denver Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

A guide to fun things to do in Denver this weekend.

Axios Denver Weekender

Weekender

Axios Denver Deep Dive

Deep Dive

Denver Members

Membership

Data: Center for Security and Emerging Technology; Chart: Simran Parwani/Axios Visuals

Efforts to block Chinese telecom equipment from U.S. supply chains are proving difficult as state and local governments in Colorado and elsewhere, continue to buy products designated a threat to national security, a new report finds.

Driving the news: State and local governments must better align themselves with U.S. policies to keep Chinese gear out of schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure nationwide, according to Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

The wide-ranging list of banned products includes smartphones, surveillance cameras and networking equipment, according to the report, which is based on procurement records scraped from public documents.

By the numbers: Between 2015 and 2021, Colorado's state and local governments spent $202,000 on Chinese technology across 31 transactions. The details on the purchases are unclear.

Why it matters: U.S. officials warn Chinese telecom equipment could make the U.S. vulnerable to economic espionage or digital sabotage.

Federal agencies have been banned since 2018 from procuring products from Chinese tech companies Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Dahua and Hytera.

Yes, but: Federal-level bans don't apply to state agencies and only five states — Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas and Vermont — have enacted measures to limit procurement of such equipment on national security grounds.

What they're saying: The governor's Office of Information Technology says it prohibits its contractors from using goods or services from federally banned companies.

But spokesperson Brandi Wildfang Simmons says, "OIT only represents a portion of Colorado's state government and does not have a role in the purchasing actions of local communities."

Colorado state and local governments buying banned Chinese tech

U.S. officials warn Chinese telecom equipment could make the U.S. vulnerable to economic espionage or digital sabotage.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Efforts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/03/29/huawei-chinese-tech-giant-trump-couldnt-kill" data-vars-content-id="b045d8bd-46ff-4fd3-b5d2-f8d3abf13ef3" data-vars-headline="Colorado state and local governments buying banned Chinese tech" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/03/29/huawei-chinese-tech-giant-trump-couldnt-kill" target="_self">Efforts</a> to block Chinese telecom equipment from U.S. supply chains are proving difficult as state and local governments in Colorado and elsewhere, continue to buy products designated a threat to national security, a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/banned-in-d-c/" data-vars-content-id="b045d8bd-46ff-4fd3-b5d2-f8d3abf13ef3" data-vars-headline="Colorado state and local governments buying banned Chinese tech" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/banned-in-d-c/" target="_blank">report</a> finds.Driving the news: State and local governments must better align themselves with U.S. policies to keep Chinese gear out of schools, hospitals and other <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="critical infrastructure" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/23/politics/fbi-investigation-huawei-china-defense-department-communications-nuclear/index.html" data-vars-content-id="b045d8bd-46ff-4fd3-b5d2-f8d3abf13ef3" data-vars-headline="Colorado state and local governments buying banned Chinese tech" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/23/politics/fbi-investigation-huawei-china-defense-department-communications-nuclear/index.html" target="_blank">critical infrastructure</a> nationwide, according to Georgetown University&#x27;s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

News

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Politics

U.S. sanctions bring renewed focus to China's crackdown on Tibet

National

Chinese homebuyers make comeback in the U.S.

Half of Americans say China is greatest threat to the U.S.

Share of adults in select countries who say they have a negative view of China

Axios What's Next

Chinese automakers want to sell electric cars across America

China replaces foreign minister after month-long absence from public view

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

transportation

business

c-suite

retail-news

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

charlotte

salt-lake-city

denver

fort-lauderdale

cincinnati

boulder

kansas-city

austin

chicago

dallas

detroit

washington-dc

atlanta

indianapolis

nashville

nw-arkansas

columbus

hollywood

north-of-cincy

richmond

san-francisco

boston

des-moines

houston

phoenix

miami

philadelphia

seattle

new-orleans

colorado-springs

huntsville

raleigh

san-antonio

twin-cities

pittsburgh

san-diego

tampa-bay

portland

cleveland

arapahoe

douglas

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

Han Chen

Featured stories

U.S. sanctions bring renewed focus to China's crackdown on Tibet

Chinese homebuyers make comeback in the U.S.

Half of Americans say China is greatest threat to the U.S.

Chinese automakers want to sell electric cars across America

China replaces foreign minister after month-long absence from public view