The recently passed National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) provides funding for Rip and Replace, a programme that gives the FCC permission to auction AWS-3 spectrum licenses that were previously awarded to Chinese firms.
“With Salt Typhoon and other recent incidents, we are all acutely aware of the risk posed by Chinese hackers and intelligence services to our privacy, economy, and security,” Rosenworcel said. “Today’s proposal is a critical step toward finally filling the shortfall in the Rip and Replace programme.”
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AWS-3 spectrum auctions took place between November 2014 and January 2015, with AT&T, Verizon, and Dish Networks among the operators who took part in the bidding.
Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE also took part, however, Congress set aside $1.9 billion in 2021 for the Rip and Replace programme to reimburse providers for removing and replacing equipment and services provided by the pair.
Demand for funds, however, exceeded the $1.9 billion, which pushed the programme back.
The Spectrum and Secure Technology and Innovation Act, part of the NDAA) was signed into late in mid-December to provide the FCC with $3.08 billion to fully fund the project. The cash will be provided by the Treasury Department as a loan, which is expected to be repaid with the proceeds of the AWS-3 auction.
Rosenworcel called on FCC commissioners to back the proposal, adding: “I am confident that the FCC’s world-leading and award-winning auction team will meet this important moment.”
Rosenworcel, who will depart the agency on January 20, the same day Donald Trump will begin his second term as US President, also called on Congress to restore the agency’s full spectrum auction authority.
“For more than thirty years, the FCC’s authority to auction the nation’s airwaves proved to be an indispensable tool for harnessing the promise of new wireless technologies while also spurring economic growth, creating jobs, and strengthening our national security and international leadership.”
President-Elect Trump has proposed Brendan Carr to replace Rosenworcel as FCC chair. Carr, who currently serves as the most senior Republican commissioner at the FCC, is a staunch critic of several Biden administration proposals around broadband projects, a Starlink advocate, and a “warrior for free speech”.
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