U.S. needs $3 billion more to remove Huawei, ZTE from U.S. networks

Congress only appropriated $1.9 billion to fund the removal process, companies would be reimbursed for only about 40% of the costs

The U.S. telecoms regulator needs an additional $3 billion dollars to fund the removal from U.S. networks of equipment made by Chinese telecoms giants Huawei and ZTE, bringing the total cost to $4.9 billion, Qazet.az reports according to agency.

Reimbursement Program will require $4.98 billion, reflecting a current shortfall of $3.08 billion," Jessica Rosenworcel, the chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, said Friday in a letter to Senator Maria Cantwell, who heads the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Since Congress only appropriated $1.9 billion to fund the removal process, companies would be reimbursed for only about 40% of the costs, she added.