US could take decisive step to remove Chinese telecom equipment

For weeks, US authorities have been warning about a potential campaign of attacks from China on US telecoms. However, long before that, the government has been encouraging the elimination of Huawei and ZTE equipment from its networks. Now, the US Congress could approve a budget of 3 billion dollars to finally meet the goal of eliminating Huawei’s presence from its carriers.

US Congress to vote on 3 billion dollars budget to remove Huawei and ZTE telecom equipment

The 3 billion dollar allocation is part of the proposal for the US 2025 defense budget. If approved, the country could completely eliminate Chinese telecommunications equipment from its telecommunications infrastructure. The government launched the initiative in 2020, but it has not been an easy road. Only a fraction of the budget originally requested by the FCC was allocated. It is possible that the recent hacks of American carriers have reactivated the process.

In 2020, Donald Trump signed the Supply Chain Reimbursement Program—also known as the “Rip and Replace Program”—during his first presidential term. The initiative sought the complete replacement of Huawei and ZTE telecommunications equipment with “secure” alternatives. The issue of national security was already one of the government’s main claims at the time. Authorities feared that Chinese equipment included backdoors that facilitated espionage by groups funded by Beijing.

However, the task is still pending due to a lack of sufficient funding. The FCC had suggested a total allocation of around $4.98 billion. But so far, Congress has only approved $1.9 billion. If the House of Representatives votes in favor of the additional allocation of $3 billion, the plan could finally go into action to begin the process of total replacement of Chinese telecommunications equipment. The government is promoting the purchase of equipment from local companies, such as Cisco and others.

Representatives also want a report on China’s technological capabilities

The US authorities’ report, spanning approximately 1,800 pages, details their budget request and potential provisions against Chinese telecommunications companies. The Senate also demands an intelligence report that discloses all details of China’s attacks. Representatives want to have a full understanding of the technological capabilities of their “rival” so they know what they are facing.

Even if the Senate approves the $3 billion allocation, there would still be a shortfall of about $80 million to reach the FCC’s suggested figure. However, it will at least cover most of the cost.

FCC Chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel says that approval of the additional allocations is key. Maintaining the deficit would put “both our national security and the connectivity of rural consumers who depend on these networks at risk,” she said. Plus, the availability of telecommunications networks in rural areas could be at risk. This could compromise even emergency services like 911.

On the other hand, the $3 billion allocation will not come from taxpayers. Senator Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, says that the funding will come from the auction of the wireless spectrum AWS-3.

Everything points to the approval of the budget

The vote will take place this week, so we won’t have to wait long to find out what will happen. Given recent developments, it is highly likely that everything will end with the approval of the budget.