NYT中美科技冷戰如何影響美國電信運營商

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中美科技冷戰如何影響美國電信運營商‘Rip and Replace’: The Tech Cold War Is Upending Wireless Carriers
CECILIA KANG2023年5月10日







阿拉巴馬州阿靈頓的松樹帶網路基站。該公司正在根據一項名為「拆換」的聯邦計劃拆除中國電信設備。


CHARITY RACHELLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Deep in a pine forest in Wilcox County, Ala., three workers dangled from the top of a 350-foot cellular tower. They were there to rip out and replace Chinese equipment from the local wireless network.

阿拉巴馬州威爾科克斯縣一片松林深處，三名工人從一座一百多米高的蜂窩網路塔頂懸垂下來。他們是要拆除並更換當地無線網路中的中國設備。


Three hours into the job, the team ran into a hitch. Replacement gear from a European company was obstructing a safety beacon for airplanes. “We’ve got a problem,” a crew member on the ground said. “They say it’s blocking the beacon.”

工作開始了三個小時，團隊遇到了困難。一家歐洲公司的替換設備遮擋了飛機安全信號燈。「我們遇到麻煩了，」地面上的一名工作人員說。「他們說它擋住了信號燈。」


[size=1.125]The project had already been delayed for months because of storms, slow equipment shipments and labor shortages. The new snafu, discovered early this month, would add at least two more days and blow the budget, said John Nettles, the president of the family-owned Pine Belt Cellular, who was standing at the base of the tower.

由於風暴、設備運輸緩慢和勞動力短缺，該項目已經推遲了幾個月。家族企業松林帶網路的總裁約翰·內特爾斯站在塔底說，本月初發現的這個新麻煩將至少增加兩天工期，並且給預算造成嚴重衝擊。


[size=1.125]“People in Washington think it’s easy to just swap out the equipment, but there are always problems you didn’t expect, always more expenses and always delays,” he said.

「華盛頓那幫人認為更換設備很容易，但總會出現意想不到的問題，總會有更多的費用和延誤，」他說。






[size=1.125]As the United States and China battle for geopolitical and technological primacy, the fallout has reached rural Alabama and small wireless carriers in dozens of states. They are on the receiving end of the Biden administration’s sweeping policies to suppress China’s rise, which include trade restrictions, a $52 billion package to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing against China and the divestiture of the video app TikTok from its Chinese owner.

隨著美國和中國爭奪地緣政治和技術優勢，影響已經波及阿拉巴馬州的農村地區和數十個州的小型無線運營商。他們是拜登政府壓制中國崛起全面政策的犧牲品，這些政策包括貿易限制、支持國內半導體製造業對抗中國的520億美元方案，以及從中國所有者手中剝離影片應用TikTok。


[size=1.125]What the wireless carriers must do, under a program known as “rip and replace,” has become the starkest physical manifestation of the tech Cold War between the two superpowers. The program, which took effect in 2020, mandates that American companies tear out telecom equipment made by the Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE. U.S. officials have warned that gear from those companies could be used by Beijing for espionage and to steal commercial secrets.

無線運營商必須執行的這項名為「拆換」的計劃已經成為兩個超級大國之間科技冷戰最鮮明的實際表現。該計劃於2020年生效，要求美國公司拆除中國公司華為和中興製造的電信設備。美國官員警告說，這些公司的設備可能被北京用於間諜活動和竊取商業機密。


[size=1.125]Instead, U.S. carriers have to use equipment from non-Chinese companies. The Federal Communications Commission, which oversees the program, would then reimburse the carriers from a pot of $1.9 billion intended to cover their costs.

美國運營商則必須使用非中國公司的設備。負責監督該項目的聯邦通信委員會（下稱FCC）將從19億美元的資金中劃撥經費，用於補償運營商。





雅各布·莫裡斯和艾登·利特爾準備爬上松樹帶的網路塔頂部，作為拆換行動的一部分。 CHARITY RACHELLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES


約翰·內特爾斯，家族企業松樹帶網路的總裁。 CHARITY RACHELLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES


一個滑輪系統被安裝在松樹帶的信號塔上。 CHARITY RACHELLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES[size=1.125]Similar rip-and-replace efforts are taking place elsewhere. In Europe, where Huawei products have been a key part of telecom networks, carriers in Belgium, Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden have also been swapping out the Chinese equipment because of security concerns, according to Strand Consult, a research firm that tracks the telecom industry.

[size=1.125]其他地方也在進行類似的拆除替換工作。在歐洲，華為的產品一直是電信網路的重要組成部分。據跟蹤電信行業的研究公司Strand Consult稱，出於安全考慮，比利時、英國、丹麥、荷蘭和瑞典的運營商也在更換中國設備。


[size=1.125]“Rip-and-replace was the first front in a bigger story about the U.S. and China’s decoupling, and that story will continue into the next decade with a global race for A.I. and other technologies,” said Blair Levin, a former F.C.C. chief of staff and a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

[size=1.125]「『拆換』是美中脫鉤這個大故事中的第一條戰線，隨著人工智慧和其他技術的全球競賽，這個故事將持續到下一個十年，」前FCC幕僚長、布魯金斯學會研究員布萊爾·萊文說。


[size=1.125]But cleansing U.S. networks of Chinese tech has not been easy. The costs have already ballooned above $5 billion, according to the F.C.C., more than double what Congress appropriated for reimbursements. Many carriers also face long supply chain delays for new equipment.

[size=1.125]但清除美國網路中的中國技術並非易事。據FCC稱，相關費用已經飆升至50億美元以上，是國會撥款的兩倍多。許多運營商還面臨著新設備因供應鏈延遲遲遲無法到貨的問題。






[size=1.125]The program’s burden has fallen disproportionately on smaller carriers, which relied more on the cheaper gear from the Chinese firms than large companies like AT&T and Verizon. Given rip-and-replace’s difficulties, some smaller wireless companies now say they may not be able to upgrade their networks and continue serving their communities, where they are often the only internet providers.

[size=1.125]該計劃的負擔過多地落在了較小的運營商身上，它們比AT&T和威瑞森等大公司更依賴中國公司的廉價設備。考慮到「拆換」的困難，一些規模較小的無線公司現在表示，它們可能無法升級網路並繼續為社區提供服務，而它們往往是社區中唯一的互聯網提供商。


[size=1.125]“For many rural communities, they are faced with the disastrous choice of having to continue to use insecure networks that are ripe for surveillance or having to cut off their services,” said Geoffrey Starks, a Democratic commissioner at the F.C.C.

[size=1.125]「對許多農村社區來說，他們面臨著災難性的選擇，要麼繼續使用已經可以用於監控的不安全網路，要麼切斷它們的服務，」FCC民主黨專員傑弗里·斯塔克斯說。


[size=1.125]Last month, Senator Deb Fischer, a Republican of Nebraska, introduced a bill to close the gap in rip-and-replace funding for carriers. Passing it will be challenging, with similar legislation failing twice over the past year and fierce debate in Washington over government spending and the debt ceiling. But “we have to follow up,” Ms. Fischer said. “Some of these carriers could go out of business.”

[size=1.125]上個月，內布拉斯加州共和黨參議員黛布·菲舍爾提出一項法案，旨在填補運營商在拆換資金方面的缺口。在過去的一年裡，類似的立法失敗了兩次，而且華盛頓正就政府支出和債務上限展開激烈的辯論，要通過這項法案難度會很大。但「我們必須跟進」，菲舍爾說。「其中一些運營商可能會倒閉。」


[size=1.125]The scrutiny of Chinese telecom companies goes back more than a decade. In 2012, a Congressional committee issued a report on Huawei and ZTE warning of the companies’ ties to Beijing. In 2019, former President Donald J. Trump restricted U.S. companies from selling goods to the Chinese firms, while the F.C.C. banned companies that receive federal subsidies from buying Huawei and ZTE equipment. The agency expanded those restrictions last year to limit all imports from the Chinese companies.

[size=1.125]對中國電信公司的審查可以追溯到十多年前。2012年，國會的一個委員會發布了一份關於華為和中興通訊的報告，對兩家公司與北京的關係提出了警告。2019年，前總統川普限制美國公司向中國公司出售商品，而FCC禁止接受聯邦補貼的公司購買華為和中興的設備。該委員會去年擴大了這些限制，覆蓋了所有從中國公司進口的產品。





在阿拉巴馬州塞爾瑪的松樹帶中央網路中心的核心布線。 CHARITY RACHELLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES


一排中興通訊的設備，在松樹帶公司位於塞爾瑪的設施裡，這些設備很快就會被諾基亞設備取代。 CHARITY RACHELLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES[size=1.125]Rip-and-replace rolled out after Congress passed a law in January 2020 creating the reimbursement effort. But costs from the program quickly soared.

[size=1.125]目前的補償措施是國會在2020年1月通過了一部法律後開始的，隨後推出了拆換計劃。但該計劃的成本迅速飆升。


[size=1.125]In January, the F.C.C. said it had received 126 applications seeking funding beyond what it could reimburse. Lawmakers had underestimated the costs of shredding Huawei and ZTE equipment, and new equipment and labor costs have risen. The F.C.C. said it could cover only about 40 percent of the expenses.

[size=1.125]今年1月，FCC表示收到126份申請，要求提供超出其報銷範圍的資金。立法者低估了拆除華為和中興設備的成本，並且新設備和勞動力成本在上升。FCC表示，它只能承擔大約40%的費用。






[size=1.125]Some wireless carriers immediately paused their replacement efforts. “Until we have assurance of total project funding, this project will continue to be delayed as we await the necessary funding required to build and pay for the new network equipment,” United Wireless of Dodge City, Kan., wrote in a regulatory filing to the F.C.C. in January.

[size=1.125]一些無線運營商立即暫停了更換工作。「在我們得到項目資金全額保證之前，這個項目將繼續推遲，因為我們需要等待建設和支付新網路設備所需的必要資金，」今年1月，位於堪薩斯州道奇城的聯合無線公司在提交給FCC的監管文件中寫道。


[size=1.125]Huawei declined to comment; ZTE didn’t respond to a request for comment.

[size=1.125]華為拒絕置評。中興通訊沒有回覆記者的置評請求。


[size=1.125]In southern Alabama’s Black Belt region, known for its historical cotton plantations and paper mills, complying with rip-and-replace has been a central initiative at Pine Belt Cellular, one of the few wireless carriers for 2,000 homes and businesses in five counties.

[size=1.125]阿拉巴馬州南部的「黑帶」地區以其歷史悠久的棉花種植園和造紙廠而聞名，遵守拆換計劃的規定一直是松林帶網路的一項核心舉措。該公司是為五個縣的2000個家庭和企業提供服務的少數無線運營商之一。


[size=1.125]The company was founded in 1958 by James Nettles, a country doctor in Arlington who installed phone lines into the homes of patients so they could call him for home visits.

[size=1.125]該公司於1958年由阿靈頓的鄉村醫生詹姆斯·內特爾斯創立，他在病人家中安裝電話線，以便他們打電話給他進行家庭問診。


[size=1.125]After James Nettles’s son, John Nettles, joined the phone business in 1988, the family expanded into wireless service with federal grants. In 2011, John Nettles took additional F.C.C. subsidies and upgraded Pine Belt’s network to include broadband for fast internet service.

[size=1.125]1988年，詹姆斯·內特爾斯的兒子約翰·內特爾斯開始做電話生意，在聯邦政府的資助下，家族業務擴展到無線服務領域。2011年，約翰·內特斯接受FCC的額外補貼，將松林帶的網路升級為包括寬帶在內的高速互聯網服務。





松樹帶公司創始人詹姆斯·內特爾斯的肖像，位於該公司在阿靈頓的辦公室。內特爾斯是一位鄉村醫生，他為病人安裝了電話線，以便他們可以打電話叫他來家裡坐診。 CHARITY RACHELLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES


松樹帶公司在塞爾瑪的辦公樓。它是為阿拉巴馬州五個縣的2000個家庭和企業提供服務的少數無線運營商之一。

CHARITY RACHELLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES[size=1.125]Six equipment manufacturers pitched their gear to him, he said. Mr. Nettles chose ZTE because the company offered equipment at less than half the cost of other bids. Pine Belt initially bought $5 million in ZTE equipment, including hundreds of antennas, radios and other gear for its 67 cell towers.

他說，當時有六家設備製造商向他推銷設備。內特爾斯選擇中興通訊是因為他們的報價不到其他商家的一半。松林帶最初購買了價值500萬美元的中興通訊設備，包括用於其67個手機信號塔的數百台天線、無線電和其他設備。


[size=1.125]The F.C.C. “told me to find the cheapest equipment, and no one thought twice about ZTE being Chinese,” he said.

他說，FCC「告訴我去尋找最便宜的設備，而沒有人在意過中興是中國公司」。






[size=1.125]But since restrictions on ZTE gear were introduced, Mr. Nettles has spent most of his time trying to replace it with equipment from Western companies like Nokia and Microsoft.

[size=1.125]但自從中興設備被實施限制以來，內特爾斯將大部分時間花在設法換成諾基亞或微軟等西方公司的產品。


[size=1.125]At Pine Belt’s central networking hub, a windowless cinder block building in downtown Selma, seven large metal bins recently overflowed with ZTE servers, processors and switches, the gear that moves internet traffic around and connects calls. There were also racks of new Nokia and Microsoft equipment and Dell computers. The Chinese and Western-made technology will operate simultaneously until Pine Belt can completely rid its cell towers of ZTE equipment.

[size=1.125]松林帶中央網路中心是坐落在塞爾瑪市中心的一座沒有窗戶的建築，最近，七個巨大的金屬垃圾桶裡滿是中興的伺服器、處理器和交換機，這些都是調節網路流量和連接通話的設備。架子上擺滿了新的諾基亞和微軟設備以及戴爾電腦。中國和西方製造的技術將同時運行，直到松林帶能夠完全處理掉其基站中的中興設備。


[size=1.125]In 2021, Pine Belt applied for $68 million in reimbursements from the F.C.C. for the replacement effort. But last July, the agency said that it could only refund costs of up to $27 million. Pine Belt is about 15 percent into its transition away from Chinese equipment and is already $5 million over the F.C.C.’s budget, Mr. Nettles said.

[size=1.125]2021年，松林帶為更換設備向FCC申請了6800萬美元的補償款。但去年7月，該機構稱最多只能補償2700萬美元。內特爾斯說，松林帶更換中國設備的工作已經進行了15%，並且已經比FCC預算多出了500萬美元。


[size=1.125]Early this month, Mr. Nettles drove 15 miles to a rusting 300-foot tower where two workers were preparing to tear out Chinese gear. Rigged with ropes and pulleys, they planned to climb the tower to assess if it could hold the weight of an additional three antennas and radio equipment from Nokia.

[size=1.125]本月初，內特爾斯驅車24公里來到一座90米高、銹跡斑斑的基站，兩名工人正準備拆掉中國的設備。他們布好繩索和滑輪，準備爬上基站，評估它是否能承受再增加三根諾基亞天線和無線電設備的重量。


[size=1.125]The workers decided they had to pour cement under the tower to create a stronger base for the additional load. The tower will have to hold the old ZTE and new Nokia equipment during the rip-and-replace work to prevent any service interruptions.

[size=1.125]工人們最終認為，他們需要在基站下澆築水泥，為額外的負載創造一個更結實的基礎。在「拆換」計劃進行過程中，基站將不得不同時容納舊的中興設備和新的諾基亞設備，以防止服務中斷。


[size=1.125]As Mr. Nettles parked near the tower, a customer in Selma called to complain that his cell service was cutting in and out. The customer was between one tower with ZTE equipment and another with Nokia equipment.

[size=1.125]當內特爾斯把車停在基站附近時，塞爾瑪的一位客戶打電話抱怨說他的手機信號時好時壞。該客戶位於裝有中興設備的基站和另一個裝有諾基亞設備的基站之間。






[size=1.125]“The ZTE and Nokia equipment aren’t communicating well with each other,” Mr. Nettles tried to explain. “Sorry about the inconvenience.”

[size=1.125]「中興和諾基亞設備之間的通信不太順暢，」內特爾斯試圖解釋。「很抱歉給你帶來了不便。」

[size=0.8125]Cecilia Kang自2015年加入時報，報導科技與監管相關議題。她與時報的Sheera Frenkel合著了《An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook\'s Battle for Domination》。歡迎在Twitter上關注她：[size=0.8125]@ceciliakang。

[size=0.8125]Adam Satariano自倫敦對本文有報導貢獻。

[size=0.8125]翻譯：紐約時報中文網

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