Telecommunications Providers Struggle to Meet May Rip-and-Replace Deadline
Carriers worry permitting delays and labor shortages could lead to connectivity loss in rural communities.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2026 – The Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) said its members can’t meet the May 2026 Rip-and-Replace program deadline, citing permitting delays, supply chain constraints and labor shortages.
In a Feb. 10 meeting with CCA representatives and Callie Coker, the legal advisor to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, the CCA said because of the deadline’s infeasibility, rural and hard-to-serve communities may face service disruptions and connectivity loss.
“More broadly, premature project termination would undermine the national security and connectivity objectives Congress sought to achieve when it fully funded the Reimbursement Program,” said Angela Simpson, CCA senior vice president and general counsel.
Member discussion