The United States wants to remove Chinese telecommunications equipment from its networks
An annual US defense bill, which would see equipment made by Chinese telecom operators removed from US wireless networks, is expected to be voted on in the US House of Representatives.
Among other measures to improve security against China, the bill will allocate more than $3 billion (A$4.7 billion) to US telecom operators for the removal of network equipment developed by telecom operators Chinese such as ZTE and Huawei.
The Rip and Replace program, which was initially allocated only US$1.9 billion (nearly AU$3 billion), is expected to cost US$4.98 billion (AU$7.8 billion), according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The program, originally called the Secure and Reliable Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, was created in the Secure and Trusted Communications Act of 2019.
The additional funding was strongly encouraged by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who wrote to Congress on December 2 to say that the lack of funding would have a significant impact on the operations of telecommunications carriers, saying that the lack of funding could jeopardize both the connectivity of people living in remote areas and the national security of the country.
“Some participants in the rebate program have informed the FCC that they are concerned that they may have to shut down portions of their networks and withdraw from this process without completing the removal of insecure equipment,” Rosenworcel wrote.
“Since a large number of participants in the rebate program serve rural and remote areas of the country, any closure of network facilities could remove the only available provider.”
Tim Donovan, CEO of the Competitive Carriers Association, welcomed the fundraising campaign.
“Funding is desperately needed to fulfill the mandate of removing and replacing covered equipment and services while maintaining connectivity for tens of millions of Americans,” Donovan said.
Congress previously told the FCC that U.S. telecom operators receiving government subsidies must remove Chinese equipment from their networks.
