Some congressional backers of the FCC’s Rip & Replace program are beginning to see momentum turn toward including an additional $3.08 billion that will fully fund the initiative in an end-of-year legislative package, Communications Daily reports. But they aren’t guaranteeing success yet.
NATE told Inside Towers it spent last week meeting with key legislators on both sides of the aisle highlighting how Rip and Replace is important to the telecom industry, specifically for the integrity of the nation’s cyber security to mitigate threats against China. One NATE source highlighted that the funding is also an opportunity to infuse cash flow for more work, especially in light of the ongoing lapsed FCC spectrum authority. “It’s time to build and Rip & Replace is a huge part of that,” he said.
Lawmakers and other Rip & Replace boosters hope congressional scrutiny of the Salt Typhoon Chinese government-affiliated effort at hacking U.S. telecom networks could be a tipping point for securing the funding. That’s after multiple spectrum legislative proposals, meant to pay for the program, have stalled.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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