Three years ago, the U.S. government began ordering the removal of equipment from Huawei and ZTE from telecommunications and security networks, citing national security threats.

More than 100 telecommunications U.S. suppliers are still using equipment from Huawei and ZTE to serve hundreds of thousands of customers, according to Bloomberg. At the same time, orders to wean U.S. telecommunications networks from billions of dollars worth of Chinese tech products also pose a public safety risk. U.S. carriers say they will have to cut service in rural America, reduce coverage of 911 calls on busy highways, and even cut back on a federal aid program known as "Rip and Replace," without adequate funding. stop completely.

It is reported that the U.S. Congress allocated $1.9 billion last year to the Federal Communications Commission's "Rip and Replace" program, which aims to help rural telecom providers replace Chinese network equipment with products from Western manufacturers. But when the agency tallied 181 applicants for funding in January, it reached $5.6 billion, nearly three times the amount available. There is no sign that Congress will address the shortfall anytime soon.

"If U.S. officials hadn't banned Huawei and ZTE network equipment, companies would have been using Huawei equipment to upgrade to 5G services," said Mike Laskowsky, manager of joint wireless network operations at the U.S. network communications provider. "

"This is not the only problem. After United Wireless installs Huawei's replacement equipment, all customers' 3G mobile phones will use a new network protocol. However, because mobile phones and other consumer goods are not covered by the 'Rip and Replace' project , consumers will pay for the change themselves,” added Mike Laskowsky.

The report concludes by noting that additional consumer costs, slow upgrades, and the potential loss of 911 call service in places with frequent travel are high costs for the U.S. government to ban Huawei equipment.