Cisco, Alcatel Chafe at 'Buy American' Mandate in Stimulus Plan

Cisco Systems and Alcatel-Lucent want "Buy American" provisions waived for a $7.2 billion US program to expand high-speed Internet access, saying the rules are difficult to meet and undermine the economic stimulus program. Requiring US-made parts would be "grossly inefficient" and a "radical departure" from normal markets, said Cisco, the largest maker of networking equipment. "We're talking about technologies that are no longer made in the United States," said Alcatel-Lucent's John Marinho.