Commissioner Starks Statement Applauding Rip and Replace Appropriation

I applaud Congress for fully funding the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program. In 2019, I convened a first-of-its-kind workshop at the Federal Communications Commission to consider security threats that stem from the presence of Chinese communications equipment in U.S. networks. I called it ‘Find It, Fix It, Fund It.’ In 2020, Congress passed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, charging the FCC to do exactly that: create a fund to enable providers to find the insecure equipment in their networks, rip it out, and replace it with secure alternatives. But we couldn’t finish the job until the rip and replace program was fully funded, a point that I emphasized along with Senator Gary Peters, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, in an op-ed in 2023. Until today, America’s rural providers lacked access to the full funding they needed to complete this needed work—putting those businesses, and their customers, at risk. Thanks to Congress’ appropriation, these companies will finally have the resources they need to complete the job and evict insecure equipment and services from our domestic networks. This could not be more important, particularly against the backdrop of reports of Chinese hacking into our telecommunications networks. I will continue to support the safety and security of America’s communications networks.