WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The Federal Communications

Commission will vote this month to tighten restrictions on

telecommunications equipment made by Chinese companies deemed

national security risks, the latest in a series of U.S. actions

targeting Beijing.

The U.S. telecom regulator previously named companies

including Huawei Technologies, ZTE (Shenzhen:000063), Hangzhou

Hikvision, China Mobile and China

Telecom to the so-called "Covered List," which bars

the FCC from authorizing for import or sale new equipment from

those companies.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the agency will vote on October

28 to prohibit authorization of devices containing component

parts that are on the Covered List and authorize the agency to

prohibit sale of previously authorized Covered List equipment in

specific cases.

"We will also tee up a number of questions about how to

further improve the process and keep bad gear out of our

networks," Carr said in a statement.

In March, the FCC said it was investigating nine Chinese

companies on the Covered List including Huawei, ZTE (Shenzhen:000063) as well as

Hytera Communications, Dahua Technology Company

, Pacifica Networks/ComNet and China Unicom

(Americas).

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately

comment.

The FCC previously barred some Chinese companies from

providing telecommunications services in the United States,

citing national security concerns.

Carr said earlier the FCC has reason to believe some or all

of the Chinese firms on the list "are trying to make an end run

around those FCC prohibitions by continuing to do business in

America on a private or 'unregulated' basis."

Last month, the FCC began proceedings to withdraw

recognition from seven test labs owned or controlled by the

Chinese government, citing U.S. national security concerns.

The U.S. telecom agency in May voted to finalize rules

barring such labs from testing electronic devices such as

smartphones, cameras and computers for use in the United States.