Rip and Replace Rules Add Country of Origin ID

The FCC Wireline Bureau made numerous changes to rules for the rip and replace program for Huawei and ZTE gear in U.S. networks. The bureau agreed to a request by Adtran to ask about the country of origin of gear in support of a “buy American” policy, it said in a notice listed in Wednesday’s Daily Digest. “We find that including a ‘country of origin’ question on the Application Request for Funding Allocation will further help the Commission track and analyze technology trends without increasing the overall burden on applicants,” the notice said. The bureau rejected arguments that it shouldn’t require site-specific information as part of the application for funds. “The identification and tracking of site-specific information on covered and replacement communications and services, as well as on cost estimates, helps to ensure funds are spent for the purpose intended and protects against waste, fraud, and abuse,” the notice said. The bureau denied a request by Nokia that the fields indicating that applicants picked an open radio access network solution be removed because the fields show a preference for open RAN. “We disagree,” the bureau said: “These questions are merely intended to help the Commission track technology choices by providers and do not suggest or otherwise encourage an applicant to select a particular technology solution.” The bureau also added a question on whether the applicant's cost estimate “includes a technology upgrade over a comparable replacement.” The bureau clarified that carriers are “responsible for the additional incremental costs of funding upgrades that exceed what is reasonably necessary to transition to a comparable replacement.” Nokia had asked the FCC to allow applicants to submit cost estimates based on reasonable costs incurred by the applicant over an 18-month timeline, the notice said: “We decline to accept a cost estimate covering such a lengthy period of time.” The notice said the FCC’s target remains to open the reimbursement filing window Oct. 29. Mavenir Senior Vice President John Baker emailed, “The catalog now accurately reflects that Open RAN solutions are 40 percent cheaper than proprietary network equipment -- savings that will make it easier for rural wireless carriers to deploy interoperable infrastructure, avoid vendor-locked solutions, and future-proof their networks.” The bureau said it modified the catalog to “reflect the lower pricing information” submitted by Mavenir. The Competitive Carriers Association is “pleased to see the process continue to move forward and appreciate that they accepted a number of our suggestions to improve the cost catalog and application process,” emailed President Steve Berry. Nokia didn't comment.