The Biden-Harris Administration is investing a historic $65 billion to bring affordable, reliable high-speed Internet service to everyone in America. But this Internet for All initiative is not just going to get Americans online — it's going to create good-paying manufacturing jobs and revitalize the domestic broadband manufacturing industry.  

As President Biden said in his State of the Union address, “We’re making sure that every community — every community in America has access to affordable, high-speed Internet… I’m also announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. Made in America. I mean it. Lumber, glass, drywall, fiber-optic cable.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires the use of Made-in-America materials and products for federally funded infrastructure projects including high-speed Internet deployment in America. As a result, today, two key manufacturers near Hickory, North Carolina announced new investments and partnerships. CommScope and Corning are investing a combined nearly $550 million and creating hundreds of new jobs in America to build the fiber optic cables that will help close the digital divide.

CommScope, a provider of broadband network equipment, announced an additional $47 million investment towards expanding its U.S. fiber optic cable manufacturing, including its facility in Catawba. That facility is already the largest hybrid-fiber-coaxial facility for broadband networks in the world and employs more than 500 people.

According to CommScope, this investment will:

• Create more than 250 new jobs over next five years.
• Produce new fiber optic cable that is specifically designed for rural areas.
• Provide ability to service to more than 500,000 homes per year.
• Invest $47 million in the U.S. toward expanding fiber optic cable production focused on rural applications.

Corning, a producer of optical fiber and cable, announced the expansion of its U.S. manufacturing capacity with the opening of its manufacturing campus near Hickory today.

According to Corning, this new investment will:

• Add hundreds of manufacturing jobs to Corning’s more than 5,000 employees in the state.
• Continue progress on a series of investments totaling more than $500 million since 2020 to help build fiber in the U.S.

Additionally, Corning has partnered with NTCA — The Rural Broadband Association — to dedicate a portion of the cable manufactured at its facility to small, rural providers and co-ops that will connect Americans across the country. This will help smaller Internet Service Providers participate in federally funded programs with Buy America requirements.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s $65 billion Internet for All initiative will help close the digital divide across the country. Currently, 24 million U.S. households lack Internet access. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is working to address this through $48 billion in grant programs to expand high-speed Internet access by funding planning, infrastructure deployment and adoption programs across the country. As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, nearly 17 million American households now have access to affordable, high-speed Internet, saving each $30-$75 per month. For more on NTIA’s work to bring high-speed Internet to everyone in America, see HERE.

Buy America requirements are a major part of ensuring we maximize the economic potential of the Internet for All initiative by manufacturing the materials needed right here in America. Manufacturing the iron, steel, fiber, and construction materials needed to deliver affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet service to millions of Americans is an opportunity to create jobs right here in the U.S.

NTIA believes that if it can be Made in America, it should be made in America – and it will faithfully implement the ‘Build America, Buy America’ requirements outlined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

This announcement is part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, which includes the historic investments from the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the American Rescue Plan. Together, these investments are unleashing a manufacturing boom, helping rebuild our infrastructure and bring back supply chains, lowering costs for hardworking families, and creating jobs that don’t require a four-year degree across the country.

The economy has created more than 12 million jobs since President Biden took office – including 800,000 manufacturing jobs – and has recovered all the jobs lost during the pandemic and more. The private sector has already invested more than $435 billion in new manufacturing here in America, including multi-billion-dollar semiconductor factories, electric battery manufacturers, broadband manufacturers, and more.