Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Make Broadband Supply Chain More Transparent

Sens John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced the Network Equipment Transparency (NET) Act (S.3692), a bipartisan bill to increase broadband supply chain transparency in order to ensure an on-time rollout of the broadband programs managed by the Federal Communications Commission. 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. The bill would identify these supply chain issues earlier so they can be addressed. Specifically, the bill would require the FCC’s Annual Broadband Deployment Report to describe to Congress the impact of supply chain disruptions on the deployment of broadband service.