Some U.S. telecom firms still have Huawei and ZTE gear in their networks

In July of 2021, the FCC, in a unanimous vote, said that Huawei and ZTE networking equipment should be ripped out of the networks belonging to the smaller U.S. telecom firms operating in rural America. These firms favored networking equipment made by Huawei and ZTE because of their low pricing. The cost to rip and replace the equipment sold by the two national security threats was estimated at $1.9 billion and while Congress agreed to that figure, the real-world cost is likely to be $3 billion more and this additional funding has not been approved by Congress.

As a result, the FCC is giving some of the networks involved in its Huawei and ZTE rip and replace program additional time to remove Huawei and ZTE gear from their networks. Per LightReading, one example is Viaero Wireless. With a deadline to "rip and replace" set for November 18th, the telecom firm wrote in a formal Extension Request back in May, "As a small, rural operation, we lack the financial resources to complete the project, as Congress has provided only 40% of the funds needed." 

The company added, "Congress maintains that replacing the covered communications equipment is essential to national security; it therefore must fully fund the Reimbursement Program. Without additional government funding, Viaero Wireless simply cannot complete the removal, replacement and disposal project; Congress' inaction and the lack of funding is completely outside of our control."

Viaero Wireless wrote that it was seeking a six-month extension. Or as it told the FCC in its filing, "With no assurances of additional funding from Congress, we respectfully request the Commission to find that our ability to complete the permanent removal, replacement and disposal by the end of the term is due to no fault of Viaero Wireless. Accordingly, we request a six-month extension of the one-year completion deadline."

Luckily for the telecom firm, common sense ruled at the FCC and the regulatory agency granted the extension noting that "The lack of full funding has rendered it (Viaero) unable to take necessary actions towards the completion of its respective removal, replacement and disposal processes."

Despite warnings from the FCC to Congress saying that Huawei equipment "could capture sensitive information from military bases and missile silos," the funds to get the "rip and replace" program completed have not been forthcoming. Still, the Biden administration is giving $60 billion in government subsidies for telecom services and networks running in rural areas.

The FCC has granted extensions to JVT, Viaero, Mediacom, All Points Broadband, and WorldCell. The agency mentioned COVID-19, and issues with the supply chain as reasons for giving these firms more time to get Huawei and ZTE out of their networks.