FCC chair says robot import restrictions aim to boost US production

A humanoid robot dances in front of visitors at a job fair in Beijing, China March 14, 2026. REUTERS/Florence Lo 07 Aug 2026 12:04AM WASHINGTON, Aug 6 : Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr said on Thursday that new restrictions that target imports of new Chinese robots and power inverters are to quickly incentivize U.S. production and address national security risks.The FCC last month barred Chinese imports of new humanoid and quadruped robots and connected power inverters, which enable renewable energy sources and batteries to connect to grids and data center equipment. "We're telling people that now is the time to onshore a lot of the investment and develop it into what could be critical elements of our national security," Carr said, adding, "We don't want to be in a sit