Springfield Standard

WASHINGTON – Senator Eric Schmitt released a statement today following the Senate Commerce Committee's passage of an amendment he authored. The amendment aims to address delays in fully funding the Rip and Replace program, which seeks to remove Chinese telecommunications equipment from U.S. networks.

"Decoupling telecommunication infrastructure critical to government, military, and civilian life from China as quickly as possible is in the best interest of United States national security," said Senator Schmitt. "Not only is this amendment aimed at protecting our telecommunications networks from Chinese espionage and intrusion, but it is also conscious of taxpayer dollars by fully offsetting funding provided for the program. I look forward to seeing this effort through to provide safety and security of our networks from bad actors who seek to do our nation harm."

The Secure and Trusted Networks Act of 2019 appropriated over $1.9 billion for telecommunications providers participating in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Universal Service Fund program. This funding was intended to help providers remove compromised Chinese telecommunications equipment and replace it with technology from trusted sources, a process known as "Rip and Replace."

According to The New York Times, the Rip and Replace Program "has become the starkest physical manifestation of the tech Cold War." The removal of Chinese telecommunications equipment is considered a national security matter due to concerns that companies like Huawei and ZTE could facilitate espionage activities for the Chinese Communist Party.

However, Congress initially underestimated the scope of technology needing replacement, resulting in a $3.08 billion shortfall for the Rip and Replace Program. Senator Schmitt's amendment seeks to modify fund authorizations to cover this shortfall by providing advanced appropriations of $3.08 billion. It also mandates that the FCC complete its auction proceeding on the AWS-3 spectrum band, using auction revenues to offset these appropriations.

For more details on Senator Schmitt’s amendment, read here.