Banning Chinese network gear is a really bad idea, small ISPs tell FCC

The Federal Communications Commission's proposed ban on Huawei and ZTE gear in government-funded projects will hurt small Internet providers' efforts to deploy broadband, according to the Rural Wireless Association (RWA), a lobby group for rural Internet service providers. Under FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's proposal, ISPs who use federal money to build or expand broadband service would end up with fewer options for buying network gear. This would "irreparably damage broadband networks (and limit future deployment) in many rural and remote areas throughout the country," the RWA told the FCC. 

Besides harming broadband deployment, the proposed ban wouldn't achieve Chairman Pai's goal of improving security in US communications networks, the RWA said. An effective national security strategy "should be applicable to all communications networks in the United States rather than targeting those relatively few communications networks" that rely on USF grants, the group said.Instead of banning products from certain companies, the FCC should create a "standards and testing based system" to determine whether any specific products pose a risk. A "'country of origin' prohibitory regime... would provide nothing more than a false sense of security," the RWA said.