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The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has allegedly been directed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to hold shipments of Bitmain Antminer units at various ports nationwide.
A report from Blockspace Media dated November 25 indicates that the CBP is focusing on shipments of Bitmain’s latest application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) miners, namely the Antminer S21 and T21, while shipments from other manufacturers like MicroBT and Canaan are not impacted.
FCC’s Inquiry Associated with Sophgo Chip in Bitmain Products
The detentions, which have continued for several months in certain instances, affect significant ports, including cities such as San Francisco and Detroit. Numerous Bitcoin mining firms have reported extended delays and uncertainty regarding the release of their shipments.
Sources have suggested that the FCC’s order may be related to an investigation into the components utilized in Bitmain’s ASIC miners, particularly the Sophgo CV1835 chip.
US CUSTOMS FREEZES BITMAIN ASIC SHIPMENTS, SPECULATION RISES
Thus, US Customs has been retaining Bitmain’s Antminer S21 and T21 ASICs for as long as two months, with some U.S. miners incurring exorbitant daily fees exceeding $200k.
The delay has led to speculation about potential connections to… pic.twitter.com/nBuVRHDyFr— IBC Group Official (@ibcgroupio) November 25, 2024
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“CBP holds extending beyond 30 days without clear requests from the Importer of Record (IOR) are beyond typical service standards and highly unusual,” one source noted, according to the report.
Sophgo is currently under examination for its purported connections to Huawei, which has been subject to U.S. sanctions since 2019. However, the report does not provide any official confirmation linking the delays to this investigation.
Companies Encounter Rising Costs Due to Extended Shipment Delays
Some impacted companies have expressed concerns regarding the insufficient communication from the CBP and FCC. They report incurring significant storage fees, with one company amassing over $200,000 while waiting for a resolution concerning 200 units.
Industry insiders have indicated that the FCC and CBP may examine the detained units for any use of prohibited hardware. Bitmain has sourced components from various suppliers, implying that not all units in the affected models necessarily include the Sophgo chips in question.
“It’s important to highlight that Bitmain procures control boards from multiple vendors, so just because a Bitmain model utilized the CV1835 chip for some units, it does not imply that every unit of that model contains the chip in question,” the report stated.
The post FCC and CBP Freeze Bitmain Antminer Imports Amid Scrutiny: Report appeared first on Cryptonews.
