BELLEVUE- Over 10,000 military and civilian workers at Offutt Air Force Base could be at risk of having cell phone calls, texts, and data seen by the Chinese government since Huawei, a Chinese-based company, installed equipment on nearby cell towers.

The U.S. Commerce Department is investigating the potential data collection and transmission capabilities of this new equipment, which was placed near military bases and missile silos all over the country, including Nebraska.

This week, Rep. Mike Flood sent a letter to the Commerce Department requesting an update on the investigation and a confirmation on whether or not the technology was placed on towers within twenty miles of Offutt Air Force Base.

The Huawei equipment was supposedly found to be within that radius near Offutt and several nuclear missile silos in Cheyenne County. "I think it's a slap in the face to every airman that goes to work," said Flood, "I want to know where this is in Nebraska, what companies are using it, and why it hasn't been removed."

Huawei denied the idea that its equipment is used for intelligence gathering, but tech experts have argued that the Chinese government has the ability to seize any information or data from Chinese-based companies.

Crystal Rhoades, a Commissioner on Nebraska's Public Service Commission, claimed that every Viaero Wireless tower in Nebraska has Huawei technology attached to it. Viaero Wireless has petitioned for $330 million in federal funds to remove the Chinese technology and replace it with technology approved by the U.S. Department of Defense. "This is a big deal, it needs to get fixed," said Rhoades.

Rep. Flood claimed that, because the United Kingdom banned Huawei technology on all of its cell towers, so should the United States. "China is a real threat. We can't trust Chinese technology when it comes to protecting our national security. My hope is this should not be drawn out," stated Flood.

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