House Commerce Confirms Work on Bill to Help Carriers Nix 'Suspect' Network Gear

House Commerce Committee leaders and staff are working on legislation to help secure telecom networks using "suspect communications components,” as expected (see 1907220053), a committee spokesperson said. House Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, D-N.J., has been pursuing draft legislation to encourage rural carriers to remove equipment from Chinese equipment makers Huawei and ZTE. The bill would “fund the replacement of suspect equipment and further prohibit the use of federal funds to purchase suspect network equipment going forward,” the committee spokesperson emailed Wednesday. The proposal could be used to codify the FCC's proposal to bar use of USF money to purchase from companies posing “a national security threat” (see 1812210032).