LINCOLN- Legislative bill 63, proposed by Sen. Eliot Bostar, seeks to encourage cell phone service providers to cease the use of Huawei equipment, which many believe is used by China to surveil not only Nebraska, but the whole of the United States. If passed, LB63 would prohibit the Nebraska Universal Service Fund from distributing funds to wireless providers using Chinese-made Huawei equipment. The federal government already banned the distribution of Universal Service Funds for companies utilizing Huawei and ZTE equipment, so, according to Bostar, this bill will put Nebraska in line with federal law.

"Of particular concern was that Huawei was routinely selling cheap equipment to rural providers in cases that appear to be unprofitable for Huawei," said Bostar, "but which placed its equipment near military assets." Bostar cited an instance that occurred last year, when Viaero Wireless came under fire for purchasing Huawei equipment and placing it on poles around the state.

Huawei previously denied the claims that its equipment was capable of saving and sending data, and affirmed that its products are not a surveillance threat. However, according to Bostar, the military has studied the equipment and found it "capable of capturing and potentially disrupting highly restricted airwaves used by the military, specifically U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees the U.S. nuclear arsenal."

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