Members of the House Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee urged Congress last Thursday to appropriate $3.08 billion needed to fully fund the FCC’s Rip & Replace program.
Regarding communications infrastructure, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) developed unsecure telecommunications equipment and exported it around the world in order to assist in its espionage activities, committee leaders said. Congress passed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 to remove some of this equipment from networks in the United States and help carriers replace it with equipment from trusted vendors.
Lawmakers called for Congress to immediately and fully fund the reimbursement program mandated by the Act. The law prohibits a Universal Service Fund recipient from purchasing, obtaining, or maintaining any equipment or services from companies posing a national security threat, and requires the FCC to publish a list of “covered communications equipment or services” within one year that pose such a threat, which includes CCP owned companies, including Huawei and ZTE.
Inside Towers reported the FCC has only been able to reimburse carriers about 40 cents on the dollar for the removal, disposal and replacement of Huawei and ZTE network gear.
Competitive Carriers Association President/CEO Tim Donovan said he appreciated the subcommittee members who spoke with concern that the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Program remains “severely” underfunded. “The program’s $3.08 billion shortfall leaves networks vulnerable and an important national security initiative incomplete. A majority of subcommittee members, on a bipartisan basis and led by committee leadership, repeatedly acknowledged that Congress should eliminate this security risk by immediately and fully funding the Program to protect America’s critical infrastructure and maintain connectivity for millions of Americans. I urge Congress to act with haste to fund the shortfall.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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