House Bill Would Pay Rural Telecoms To Ditch Chinatied Tech Seen As Spying Risk: 'rip And Replace'
In 2020, Congress passed the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) bipartisan rip-and-replace program, which reimburses small communications providers across the country for the costs of removing, replacing, and disposing of equipment manufactured by Huawei Technologies Co . and ZTE Corp. are products. .; They pose a serious threat to US national security due to their close ties to the Chinese government.
There are approximately 24,000 Chinese-made communications devices in U.S. telecommunications networks, and their destruction is critical to protecting the United States from espionage and other threats. However, the Removal and Replacement Program currently has a deficit of $3.08 billion and can only cover 40% of the costs of eligible applicants, many of whom work in rural areas, leaving these communities at risk of loss of income. The program has already received 126 applications, which exceeds its budget.
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa joined CCP Chairman Mike Gallagher and fellow Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois to introduce the Secure Our Networks Act in a historic move. The funding is needed to close the FCC program's budget gap and transfer $3.08 billion in discretionary COVID relief funds to the Rip and Replace program.
“Communications devices produced by CCP-affected companies pose a serious threat to our national security, and fully funding efforts to replace vulnerable components with secure ones is an important step forward in protecting our technology infrastructure,” he added.
House Speaker Chrissy Houlahan, who is also a co-sponsor of the bill, praised the “strong bipartisan coalition” pushing the bill forward.
“This year, the Federal Communications Commission said it would only be able to cover less than half the cost of removing dangerous Chinese technology from U.S. telecommunications networks. This is simply unacceptable,” he said.
Just a few months ago, in July, Hinson called for a review of “potentially compromised” government telecommunications equipment after hackers breached the emails of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and a senior State Department official. .
“If there are still telecommunications and video surveillance devices from the PRC or PRC-affiliated companies in federal buildings, they should be unplugged, torn off the wall and thrown somewhere where the sun doesn't shine,” he said. - he wrote in a letter. U.S. Government Accountability Office.