The Huawei threat is already here

The recent presidential executive order barred US companies from buying foreign-made telecommunications equipment deemed a national security risk. Although the order does not name Huawei, Congress and our intelligence agencies have voiced concern that the company’s equipment contains vulnerabilities that the Chinese government and others could exploit to spy on or harm US networks. But the executive order misses a critical problem: our networks already contain equipment from Huawei — lots of it. The Federal Communications Commission must find this equipment and work with other policymakers to fix the security problems and fund a solution for affected carriers. Policymakers like the FCC need to figure out how to deal with the equipment that’s already in our network. Find it. Fix it. Fund it. Our security is at stake.