Nearly 80 Service Providers Engaged Equipment in Secure Networks Blacklist: FCC Report

WASHINGTON, March 1, 2023 – The Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Economics and Analytics said Wednesday that 79 communications providers reported last year purchasing, renting, leasing or getting equipment from a blacklist of companies that the federal government says poses a national security threat.

In a 2020 ruling, the FCC required that advanced communications providers report to the commission if they use any of the equipment from a blacklist of companies established in March 2021, including Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hangzhou Hikvision, and Dahua. The OEA established an online portal in February last year to aid in the reporting.

In a publicly released report on Wednesday, the OEA identified 79 companies, listed below, in its 2022 Supply Chain Annual Report that have engaged equipment on the list. The order emanates from the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019.

The providers must report equipment that has been obtained on or after August 14, 2018, with subsequent additions to the blacklist requiring reporting if the equipment was obtained 60 days or more after the date they were added to the list.

The commission, by way of funding from Congress, has established a $1.9 billion reimbursement program for providers to rid their networks of the equipment from the blacklist. But the FCC has noted and the providers have complained of a shortfall in funding, with a commission report in January finding that nearly half of rip-and-replace firms are struggling with funding. Some rural providers said they can’t even get loans to cover the cost.

One industry association expressed dismay that the funding shortfall was not addressed in the omnibus spending bill.

The providers that reported covered equipment are:

Amherst Telephone Company
Blue Mountain Networks LLC
Board of Trustees, Northern Michigan University
Bristol Bay Cellular Partnership
Bulloch County Rural Telephone Cooperative Inc.
Carrollton Farmers Branch ISD
Cellco Partnership
Central Louisiana Cellular LLC
China Telecom (Americas) Corporation
Commnet Wireless LLC
Computer 5 Inc., DBA LocalTel Communications
Copper Valley Telephone Cooperative
Country Wireless LLC
Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc.
Futurum Communications Corp
Gallatin Wireless Internet, LLC
Gogo Business Aviation LLC
Hargray Communications Group, Inc.
Hillsboro Telephone Co Inc
Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc
Hotwire Communications, Ltd.
Hunter Communications & Technologies LLC
Inland Cellular LLC
i-wireless, LLC
James Valley Cooperative Telephone Company
Kennebec Telephone Company, Inc.
Kerman Telephone Co
LakeNet LLC
Latam Telecommunications, L.L.C.
Leaco Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Level 3 Communications, LLC
Liberty Communications of Puerto Rico LLC
Liberty Mobile Puerto Rico Inc.
Ligtel Communications Inc.
Manhattan Telecommunications Corporation LLC
Mark Twain Communications Company
Mediacom Communications Corporation
Metro Fibernet, LLC
MHG Telco, LLC
NE Colorado Cellular Inc
NTInet, Inc.
Oneida County Rural Telephone Co.
Orange Business Services U.S., Inc.
Panhandle Telecommunication Systems Inc
Piedmont Communications Services, Inc
Pine Belt Cellular, Inc.
Pine Telephone Company Plant Telephone Company
Plateau Telecommunications Incorporated
Point Broadband Fiber Holding, LLC
PS Lightwave, Inc.
Puerto Rico Telephone Company
Red River Communications
S & T Communications LLC
S&T Telephone Cooperative Association, Inc.
Sagebrush Cellular, Inc.
Santa Rosa Telephone Coop., Inc.
Santel Communications Cooperative, Inc.
Skybeam, LLC
South Canaan Telephone Company
South Central Telephone Coop Inc
Spruce Knob Seneca Rocks Telephone, Inc.
Star Telephone Membership Corp
Stealth Communications
Texas 10, LLC
Transtelco, Inc.
Union Telephone Company
United Wireless Communications, Inc.
Utah Broadband
Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency
Velocity Telephone, Inc.
Vernon Communications Cooperative
Virginia Everywhere, LLC
Webformix Internet Company
Windstream Communications LLC
Xiber, LLC
Xtreme Enterprises LLC
Yelcot Telephone Company
Zito West Holding, LLC