Op-Ed:  Broadband Industry Hopeful to Get Waivers from Biden Administration Protectionist Policies

In a presidential administration rife with protectionist policies, the broadband internet industry is optimistic it will receive waivers from the “Buy America” mandate that threatens to derail plans to close the digital divide.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is likely to announce state funding allocations for the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program by the end of June. That is the biggest piece of the taxpayer-funded pie allocated by Congress to extend broadband infrastructure across the U.S. over the next several years.

But, as the Taxpayers Protection Alliance has reported, broadband industry leaders say the Buy America mandate could seriously hamper the effort. As part of the mandate, the Biden administration has said that at least 55 percent of the component parts of a product used in federal construction projects must be sourced domestically. That rule applies to any infrastructure project, but broadband has taken center stage recently with the BEAD funding imminent.

The full piece can be found online here.