Sens. Hickenlooper, Capito, Tester, Moran Reintroduce Bill to Strengthen Broadband Supply Chain

US Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) reintroduced the Network Equipment Transparency (NET) Act, a bipartisan bill to increase broadband supply chain transparency through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in order to ensure an on-time rollout of federal broadband programs. Broadband infrastructure projects have been affected by supply chain woes in the past. A lack of transparency into the health of the telecommunications supply chain may contribute to future equipment shortages as federal broadband programs prioritize high-speed, reliable, and accessible networks. In anticipation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds for broadband projects distributed to states later this spring, the bill would help to identify these supply chain issues so they can be addressed sooner. Specifically, the bill would require the FCC’s Communications Marketplace Report to describe to Congress the impact of supply chain disruptions on the timely completion or deployment of broadband infrastructure projects.