At a glance.
- US rip-and-replace program for Chinese hardware finalized.
- How law enforcement agencies track and seize alt-coin.
- Tech transfer from US Federal labs.
FCC finalizes rip-and-replace program details.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Reuters reports, approved on Tuesday the parameters of a $1.9 billion fund to compensate (largely rural) telecom firms serving up to 10 million clients for the costs of weeding out Chinese gear.
Acting FCC Chairwoman Rosenworcel noted the “serious risk that this equipment may be manipulated, disrupted or controlled by foreign actors.” She committed to "evaluate network after network, base station after base station, and router after router, until we have rooted out our equipment that could undermine national security.” The FCC has designated Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua threats to national security, and last December ordered telecoms to “rip and replace” Huawei and ZTE equipment.
Reimbursement applications open at the end of October, according to the South China Morning Post. Smaller carriers will receive funds first, in case the program runs dry. FCC Commissioner Starks worries labor shortages and inflation will drive up replacement expenses.
CNBC recalls the Trump Administration’s efforts to protect Five Eyes partners from the potentially prying eyes of Chinese tech, and the Biden Administration’s continuation of the policy in the realm of supercomputers.
Tracking and seizing cryptocurrency in law enforcement operations.
The Guardian says a global money laundering investigations unit at the UK Metropolitan Police has confiscated almost £180 million in bitcoin, on the heels of a June seizure totaling £114 million, following a tip about a “transfer of criminal assets.”
SecurityWeek rules it unlikely that bitcoin encryption is compromised, and more likely that the Met infiltrated a criminal network, or gathered intelligence via ANOM—noting that “seizure” of a wallet doesn’t entail “access.” The piece also speculates about Moscow’s role in the FBI’s June confiscation of DarkSide’s takings, finding it odd that the monies were consolidated in one account rather than dispersed, and highlighting the enduring mystery of how the Bureau obtained the wallet’s key.
US Federal laboratories’ approach to tech transfer.
Federal News Network interviews NSA Office of Research and Technology Applications Director and Federal Laboratory Consortium Chair Linda Burger on the ins and outs of her organizations’ work to bring Government-funded inventions to market. The NSA’s patent portfolio includes one-hundred-plus technologies—like tamper-evident tape and double-sealed bags—created in classified circumstances across IoT, data science, cybersecurity, physical security, and mobility applications.
Tech transfer gives academic, industry, and nonprofit partners a leg up on IP breakthroughs, and provides citizens a return on investment for the Government’s annual $100 billion R&D expenditure.