Today, NTIA is announcing the establishment of the Communications Supply Chain Risk Information Partnership (C-SCRIP), a program to share supply chain security risk information with trusted communications providers and suppliers.
Small and rural communications providers and equipment suppliers are the primary focus of this program, and our goal is to improve their access to information about risks to key elements in their supply chain. NTIA will ensure that this risk information is relevant and accessible, and we will work with our government partners to enable the granting of security clearances when necessary.
The C-SCRIP program was called for in the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, which President Trump signed into law on March 12, 2020. The Act established a Federal Communications Commission program to reimburse smaller providers for removing and replacing equipment and services that threaten national security. This information sharing program, mandated by Section 8 of the Act, was intended to ensure that small, rural providers have access to the supply chain risk information they need before they make an investment, which should help mitigate further “rip and replace” programs in the future.
NTIA will use a phased approach to build the C-SCRIP program, incorporating feedback we expect to receive from our request for comments on this topic, due later this month. C-SCRIP will initially allow for regularly scheduled informational briefings, with a goal of providing more targeted information for C-SCRIP participants as the program matures over time.
For more information, please contact Megan Doscher at (202) 482–2503 or mdoscher@ntia.gov.