Congress moves on massive spending package with funds for expanded Huawei rip-and-replace program

Lawmakers are preparing to vote on an omnibus fiscal 2021 funding bill that includes long-anticipated funding for the Federal Communications Commission to reimburse rural telecoms for replacing Huawei equipment.

Congress in March established a rip-and-replace program to reimburse rural telecoms for the cost of replacing equipment and services from Huawei and ZTE under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act. The law directed the FCC to seek funding from Congress.

The omnibus appropriations legislation provides $1.9 billion to the FCC...