NATE Statement in Support of Rip and Replace Program Funding Being Included in the National Defense Authorization Act
For Immediate Release:
December 9, 2024
(Washington, D.C.) – NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today issued the following statement on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“NATE applauds the inclusion of $3.08 Billion for the FCC’s Rip and Replace Program in the NDAA. Fully funding this program is essential to removing Chinese components from our nation’s wireless communications systems. It is imperative to take this step to ensure the security of our broadband infrastructure. This will mitigate the real threat to our national security posed by insecure networks and devices. By including this language, Congress is fully leveraging the rip and replace program to protect Internet users, and it will lead to NATE member contractor companies on the front lines conducting this rip and replace deployment work,” said President & CEO Todd Schlekeway.
“We commend House and Senate leaders for taking this crucial step that will better secure our critical infrastructure from Chinese threats. We also want to commend members of the NATE Wireless industry Network who engaged with their legislators through meetings and letters over the past year. This has been a number one priority, and our WIN leaders were actively engaged at the grassroots level throughout the debate. This is a prime example of NATE WIN’s effectiveness and the importance of their advocacy,” added Schlekeway.
For more information on NATE, visit www.natehome.com.
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About NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association is a non-profit trade association dedicated to providing a unified voice for companies in the diverse tower and communications infrastructure industries. It is recognized as the tower industry leader in promoting safety, standards, and education. Today, the Association boasts approximately 950 member companies (mostly small businesses) that construct, service or maintain hundreds of thousands of communications towers and next generation networks throughout the United States and 12 other countries.
Contact: Todd Schlekeway
(605) 882-5865
