The Federal Communications Commission is moving ahead with plans to stop telecommunication companies buying equipment from foreign companies it considers to be a security threat. This move has Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in the crosshairs — telecom companies have to stop buying their equipment or even rip it out. Christopher Mitchell, who monitors community broadband at the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance, said that Huawei, in particular, has become a key provider in rural areas for a couple of reasons.