The fact that ME and UEFI have network stacks doesn't mean that they are always active. And yes there is nic support embedded in the firmware. This is how you'r

The fact that ME and UEFI have network stacks doesn't mean that they are always active. And yes there is nic support embedded in the firmware. This is how you're able to pxe boot or bring up the nic after booting EFI shell for example.