U.S. lawmakers are expected to approve $1.9 billion to fund a program to dismantle telecommunications network equipment, a person familiar with the matter said Sunday, Reuters reported. The U.S. government says the telecom network equipment poses a risk to national security. The plan comes as part of a year-end spending bill and a new crown virus bailout bill.
Members of Congress are also expected to support the allocation of $3.2 billion to provide emergency broadband benefits to low-income Americans.
The Federal Communications Commission said in June that it had officially listed China’s huawei Technologies and ZTE as threats, a statement that prohibited U.S. companies from using $8.3 billion in government funds to buy equipment from the two companies.
Earlier this month, the FCC finalized rules requiring carriers with ZTE or Huawei equipment to “remove and replace” such equipment, but is awaiting congressional appropriations.
Huawei said earlier this month that it was disappointed by the FCC’s decision to “force the removal of our products from telecommunications networks. This overreach puts U.S. citizens at risk in largely underserved rural areas, where reliable communications are essential during a pandemic.”
The $7 billion New Crown relief broadband package “establishes a temporary, emergency broadband benefit program at the FCC to help low-income Americans, including those economically threatened by the New Crown pandemic, connect or maintain broadband connections,” the sources said. “
The source added that the program will provide a $50 monthly subsidy to eligible households “to help them afford broadband service and Internet-connected devices.”
The source cited a draft fact sheet that said the bill would also extend the “remove and replace” program compensation to communications providers with 10 million subscribers or fewer, but prioritize compensation for communications providers with 2 million subscribers or fewer.
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