New York -- Removing Huawei and ZTE from US networks across the United States has been costly and difficult, especially for smaller carriers, according to an article by the New York Times.

Cleansing US networks of Chinese tech has not been easy. The costs have already ballooned above $5 billion, according to the Federal Communications Commission, more than double what Congress appropriated for reimbursements. Many carriers also face long supply chain delays for new equipment, said the article.

A program known as "rip and replace," which took effect in 2020, mandates that American companies remove and replace telecom equipment made by the Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE.

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, according to the article.