Light Reading News, concerns about the impact of the “Buy America” rule on the federal government’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program seem to be fading due to increased domestic supply from broadband equipment suppliers and industry expectations that the US Department of Commerce will introduce some limited exemptions later this month.
In summary, the Infrastructure Investment and Employment Act (IIEA), which created the $42.5 billion BEAD program, stipulates that the “Buy American” rule should apply to infrastructure projects approved by the federal government, which is also a requirement repeatedly reiterated by President Biden.
This commitment has always been a source of anxiety for stakeholders in the broadband industry, who believe that the domestic supply of broadband devices in the United States is insufficient, and the “Buy American” regulation will lead to delays in the launch of BEAD and hinder its full implementation.
However, these emotions are beginning to shift as Nokia announced last week that it will collaborate with Sanmina Corporation to produce broadband network electronics products for BEAD starting next year at its Sanmina factory in Kinosha County, Wisconsin. Nokia stated in a press release that it has officially become the “first telecommunications company to announce the production of fiber optic broadband network electronics and optical modules for the BEAD project in the United States”. This news was announced on-site, with Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo also present. Nokia stated that the products it plans to produce include Optical Line Terminals (OLT), OLT Line Cards, and Optical Network Terminals (ONT).
In addition to Nokia’s statement, the US Department of Commerce also confirmed that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will release its draft “Build America, Buy America” requirement later this summer and seek public opinion.

Before Nokia announced this news, the White House also announced other news related to preparations for the project. This includes Corning and CommScope expanding their fiber optic production in North Carolina, and Prisman transforming a copper cable factory in Jackson, Tennessee into a fiber optic production plant. But Nokia’s message is significant because it is the first company to solve the problem of broadband devices. Compared to domestically produced fiber optics in the United States, broadband devices are in short supply in the United States, as NTIA discovered in its own research last year, which ultimately led to limited exemptions for the “Buy American” program.