Tariffs could slow replacement of telecom networks, according to industry official

Tariff hikes will drive up prices and make it harder for telecommunications providers to replace networks more vulnerable to Chinese hacker intrusion, an industry official told lawmakers Wednesday.

“Tariffs will only raise prices,” David Stehlin, CEO of the Telecommunications Industry Association, told Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla. While it makes sense to find ways to bring production back to the United States, Stehlin testified, “if over a long period of time, those prices are raised, fewer networks are going to get built and that’s a problem.”

Stehlin made his remarks at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee on securing telecommunications infrastructure, as the Trump administration seesaws on its approach to raising tariffs worldwide. 

Read more at CyberScoop