The U.S. may soon finally begin to help small, rural carriers rip out and replace telecom gear from Chinese manufacturers Huawei and ZTE. FCC Acting Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said she hopes commissioners will vote at the agency’s July 13 meeting to finalize the rules overseeing the $1.9 billion reimbursement fund, Reuters noted.
Inside Towers’ Intelligence reported that manufacturers like Ericsson and Nokia have urged the agency to finalize the paperwork needed for carriers to submit their reimbursement requests. The manufacturers stressed the industry needs such “certainty” to get projects underway.
The Wireline Competition Bureau recently sought public input on the proposed application filing process for Rip & Replace reimbursements. Comments are due to the agency tomorrow, Inside Towers reported.
The action happens as a federal appeals court on Friday refused to hear Huawei’s request to overturn the FCC’s ruling that bars rural carriers from using Universal Service Fund money to buy telecom gear or services from Huawei and ZTE. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the FCC was within its purview to issue the rule that bans such purchases from companies considered by the U.S. to be national security risks.
According to the Associated Press, the three-judge panel also dismissed Huawei’s claim that the agency lacked the expertise to designate the manufacturer’s gear as a security risk to U.S. telecommunications infrastructure. “Assessing security risks to telecom networks falls in the FCC’s wheelhouse,” the judges wrote. They rejected suggestions it is a “junior varsity” agency on national security matters.
Huawei didn’t have a comment on the ruling.
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