Making Internet for All in America: The Next Steps

Following President Biden’s State of the Union Address in January 2023, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it would take a strict approach to enforcing Build America, Buy America requirements for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Now we’re ready to provide more specifics. The NTIA is proposing a limited and targeted waiver of Build America, Buy America provisions for the BEAD Program that follows this strict approach to enforcing rules that protect and create American jobs. Proposal: Majority of fiber broadband equipment will need to be made in the US, including optical fiber, fiber optic cable, key electronics, and enclosures. The policies recommended in this draft waiver will ensure that close to 90% of BEAD funding spent on equipment will be spent on equipment manufactured in the US. The proposed waiver is the result of months of careful analysis of market conditions and sustained outreach to industry and stakeholders. As a result of these efforts, NTIA established criteria to prioritize products targeted for onshoring:

• Strategically important technologies, like those that ensure the security, integrity, and reliability of network data, should be produced in America;
• If a product’s domestic manufacturing line can be scaled quickly, it should be produced in America;
• And if a product—like the fiber-optic cable so critical to deploying high-speed Internet networks in communities throughout the country—comprises a significant portion of the overall network spend, it should be produced in America.

Over the next 30 days, stakeholders will have an opportunity to comment on this proposal. After final publication, NTIA will continue to monitor implementation to ensure that we’re creating jobs here at home and delivering affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service to all Americans.