Washington (Reuters) – The United States House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on a bill that includes US$3 billion in a budget for US telecommunications companies to remove equipment from China’s Huawei and ZTE from their wireless networks.
The 1,800-page text was released late Saturday and includes other China-focused provisions, including a requirement for a report on Chinese efforts to circumvent U.S. national security regulations and an intelligence assessment on the current status of biotech capabilities. from China.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reported that removing insecure equipment is estimated to cost $4.98 billion, but Congress previously approved just $1.9 billion for the “rip and replace” program.
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A few days ago, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel again called on the US Congress to provide urgent additional funding, saying the program to replace equipment in 126 carriers’ networks faces a $3.08 billion shortfall, “putting at risk our national security and the connectivity of rural consumers who depend on these networks.”
On Saturday, the chief executive of telecommunications carriers association Competitive Carriers Association, Tim Donovan, praised the announcement, saying that “funding is critically needed to fulfill the mandate of removing and replacing equipment, maintaining connectivity for tens of millions of Americans.”
In 2019, Congress told the FCC to require U.S. telecommunications carriers that receive federal subsidies to eliminate Chinese telecommunications equipment from their networks. In 2023, the White House requested $3.1 billion for the program.
