The Rural Wireless Association and Nokia are concerned about the FCC’s plan to vote next week on a proposal to block carriers from receiving Universal Service Fund dollars if they use services or equipment from companies considered a security threat to the United States. The
fear is Chinese companies like Huawei or ZTE in particular, might use
their gear to spy on Americans for their government, a charge both have
denied.
RWA tells the agency, if adopted, the
proposal would not only fail to protect national security, but it would
also irreparably damage broadband networks and limit future deployment
in many rural areas. “A serious defensive
national cyber security strategy requires a risk management strategy and
program that address the risk from all suppliers of products and
services to government and critical infrastructure, including the
communications sector. Additionally, any such national cyber security
strategy should be applicable to all communications networks in the
United States rather than targeting those relatively few communications
networks funded in part by USF that use equipment from particular
countries,” says the RWA in a filing with the agency this week.
Like the Commission, the RWA says it
understands the communications network supply chain is global. That’s
why it recommends the agency focus its efforts on “creating a standards
and testing based system, and not on imposing a costly and ultimately
ineffective ‘country of origin’ prohibitory regime that would provide
nothing more than a false sense of security.” Continue Reading
No comments:
Post a Comment