Rural telecom industry group petitions FCC over rip-and-replace funding

The Rural Wireless Association has sent a petition to the Federal Communications Commission asking for more details on who will be considered an “Eligible Provider” to receive funds for the rip and replacement of Huawei and ZTE equipment and services.

The association is asking for a declaratory ruling based on a $1 billion rip-and-replace program put into place under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, which became law in March. However, Congress has yet to appropriate the funds to...