Security Experts:

Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Cybersecurity Funding

US Congress Passes Bill Funding ‘Rip and Replace’ for Huawei Gear

US lawmakers have passed legislation offering $1 billion to help telecom carriers “rip and replace” equipment from Chinese tech firms Huawei and ZTE amid national security concerns.

US lawmakers have passed legislation offering $1 billion to help telecom carriers “rip and replace” equipment from Chinese tech firms Huawei and ZTE amid national security concerns.

The Senate approved the measure late Thursday, following earlier House passage, which sends the measure to the White House for an expected signature from President Donald Trump.

The bill also bars the use of federal funds for the purchase or maintenance of telecom equipment from “untrusted” suppliers, codifying a ban ordered last year by the Federal Communications Commission.

To allay concerns over the impact for small telecom carriers, the bill provides funds to subsidize the removal of equipment “that poses a national security risk” for firms with fewer than two million customers, according to the text.

“Telecommunications equipment from certain foreign adversaries poses a significant threat to our national security, economic prosperity, and the future of US leadership in advanced wireless technology,” said Senator Roger Wicker, a sponsor of the measure.

“By establishing a ‘rip and replace’ program, this legislation will provide meaningful safeguards for our communications networks and more secure connections for Americans.”

The move comes amid US-China tensions over trade and Washington’s accusations of Huawei’s links to Chinese intelligence, a charge long denied by the company.

In early February, US officials unsealed a criminal indictment alleging the Chinese tech giant engaged in a “decades-long” effort to steal trade secrets from American companies.

Huawei, one of the largest global tech firms and a major telecom equipment maker, has also been banned from receiving exports of many US technology products and services.

ZTE, which is also accused of potential ties to the Chinese government, has been fined for violating US sanctions by exporting tech products to Iran and North Korea.

RelatedHuawei and Supply Chain Security – The Great Geopolitical Debate

Written By

AFP 2023

Click to comment

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Join this webinar to learn best practices that organizations can use to improve both their resilience to new threats and their response times to incidents.

Register

Join this live webinar as we explore the potential security threats that can arise when third parties are granted access to a sensitive data or systems.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Application Security

Cycode, a startup that provides solutions for protecting software source code, emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday with $4.6 million in seed funding.

Cybersecurity Funding

SecurityWeek investigates how political/economic conditions will affect venture capital funding for cybersecurity firms during 2023.

Funding/M&A

Twenty-one cybersecurity-related M&A deals were announced in December 2022.

Funding/M&A

More than 450 cybersecurity-related mergers and acquisitions were announced in 2022, according to an analysis conducted by SecurityWeek

Funding/M&A

Forty cybersecurity-related M&A deals were announced in January 2023.

Cybersecurity Funding

Network security provider Corsa Security last week announced that it has raised $10 million from Roadmap Capital. To date, the company has raised $50...

Funding/M&A

Seventeen cybersecurity-related M&A deals were announced in the first half of February 2023.