Out with the Old, in With the New Integra Optics 11.11.21 There’s big news in the Telcom world! The FCC has officially kicked off the “Supply Chain Reimbursement Program” where qualifying providers can be reimbursed for pulling out existing hardware and replacing/upgrading it. Sounds too good to be true, right? Let’s go through the details… International Espionage On June 30th, 2020 the FCC officially designated Huawei and ZTE as threats to national security. “With today’s Orders, and based on the overwhelming weight of evidence, the Bureau has designated Huawei and ZTE as national security risks to America’s communication networks—and to our 5G future,” -FCC Chairman Being designated a threat to national security banned the use of Universal Services funds to go towards the purchase of equipment by these two companies. And this has just taken a step further…. Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (SCRP) Some providers are eligible to secure funds from the 1.9 billion dollar SCRP pool to get the Huawei and ZTE equipment out of their network and discarded. Applications run from Friday, October 29, 2021 at 12:00 AM ET and will close on Friday, January 14, 2022 at 11:59 PM ET. Who is covered? Small providers who Have fewer than 10 million customers Telcoms, schools, libraries, and healthcare providers who provide links greater than 200kbps up or downstream Have Huawei or ZTE equipment and services obtained on or before June 30, 2020 but after April 17th, 2018 What does it cover? Replacing equipment in lateral upgrades Equipment upgrades when like-for-like replacements are not available Facility upgrades if the replacement equipment will not fit in the same physical space Vendor travel expenses and labor costs of employees assigned purely to the replacement projects Removing and replacing the Smart (Coder) Way Those who have Integra Optics Transceivers deployed in their ZTE or Huawei equipment have a starting advantage because those optics can be recoded using the Integra Optics Smart Coders to work with whatever platforms are brought in as replacements. If the optics in the retiring platforms are not the Integra Optics brand then making the switch to Integra Optics re-codable transceivers will cut costs and future headaches. Having Optics that don’t lock you into a specific hardware set keeps you agile in your future network deployments and upgrades. Keeping you technologically agile and fiscally smart. Reach out to one of Integra’s optics experts to learn more about the FCC reimbursement program and how we can help you cut costs and future headaches. Some Helpful Links Official FCC Release Designating Huawei and ZTE as Security Threats: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-designates-huawei-and-zte-national-security-threats Official FCC Program Announcement: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-announces-supply-chain-reimbursement-program-filing-window Official FCC Application Link: https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain Share This:
