U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson visited Hickory, N.C., as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America tour to announce new fiber optic cable production in the United States.
“We have a tremendous opportunity not just to close the digital divide for millions of Americans, but also to revitalize domestic manufacturing industry, make more products and technologies in America, and create good manufacturing jobs here in Hickory and across the country,” Raimondo said in a Department of Commerce (DOC) press release issued on March 29.
Two key manufacturers, CommScope and Corning, are investing a total of approximately $550 million and creating hundreds of new jobs in America to build the fiber optic cables required for high-speed Internet deployment in America, the release reports.
Raimondo said President Joe Biden was clear in stating that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is an opportunity to invest in America, according to the release. The fiber optic cable production announcement shows that investment will get everyone connected to the Internet in America with products made in America, Raimondo said.
A $47 million investment by CommScope will expand its U.S. fiber optic cable manufacturing, including its facility in Catawba, the release reports. That facility is the largest hybrid-fiber-coaxial facility for broadband networks in the world. The fiber optic cable produced will be specifically designed for rural areas, CommScope stated.
Corning will expand its manufacturing capacity at its new Hickory campus, building on the more than $500 million that the company has invested in fiber and cable manufacturing since 2020, according to the release. Corning formed a partnership with NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association - to dedicate part of the cable to small, rural providers and co-ops that will connect Americans across the country.
“We’ve been talking about the digital divide in this country for decades,” Davidson said in the release. “Now, thanks to President Biden’s Internet for All initiative, we finally have the resources to do something serious about it.
"CommScope and Corning’s announcements today will help ensure we have the fiber we need to build affordable, reliable high-speed Internet networks," Davidson said. "Our focus at NTIA is on deploying these networks and investing in American jobs and manufacturing in the process.”
