U.S. House Committee votes to uphold ban on ZTE

It has been a rollercoaster of a year for ZTE, the smartphone manufacturer based out of China. Back in April the United States Department of Commerce banned American companies like Qualcomm from exporting goods to ZTE. It didn't take long before ZTE announced it was ceasing main business operations. But the company had a surprise supporter in the form of the President of the United States, who said that he was working very hard to get ZTE "back into business". But it looks like ZTE's troubles aren't going away any time soon. The Hill is reporting that the U.S. House Appropriations Committee has unanimously passed an amendment to prevent the Commerce Department from renegotiating sanctions with ZTE. All that to say that the ban against ZTE importing U.S. goods for their smartphones is being upheld as of now. "This amendment, which passed with the unanimous support of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, shows that, when the United States enacts sanctions, we stand behind them," said Congressman Ruppersberger, who lead the amendment. "It will also prevent a foreign company that is beholden to its government – and that ignores embargoes – from infiltrating the devices and networks that are now indispensable to American life." As it stands right now, it does not look like ZTE will be ramping up its operations again. And while the U.S. President has previously directed the U.S. Commerce Department to figure out a way to get ZTE back into business, this amendment makes that unlikely, too. Sources: The Hill, Congressman Ruppersberger Android Match ae http://androidmatch.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default