KENOSHA, WI – Today Nokia announced that their first American-made broadband electronics for use in anticipated Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program networks are now available for purchase.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson traveled to Kenosha, WI, to celebrate this milestone and see firsthand the new electronic equipment and meet with the local Wisconsin workers who manufactured this equipment.
The following statement is attributable to Assistant Secretary of Commerce Alan Davidson:
“President Biden challenged industry to create good-paying manufacturing jobs in support of our major infrastructure investments, and companies like Nokia have risen to that challenge,” said Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator. “As a result, American tax dollars will be spent on equipment made here in the U.S., including the electronics rolling off the assembly line in Wisconsin.”
Background
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires the use of Made-in-America materials and products for federally funded infrastructure projects, including high-speed Internet service deployment under the Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. In August 2023, Nokia announced its partnership with Sanmina Corporation at their Kenosha facility to manufacture key electronic equipment used in high-speed Internet networks, bringing hundreds of new jobs to the U.S.
In February 2024, NTIA announced the majority of fiber broadband equipment for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program —including optical fiber, fiber optic cable, key electronics, and enclosures— will be made in the United States.
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About the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the Executive Branch agency that advises the President on telecommunications and information policy issues. NTIA’s programs and policymaking focus largely on expanding broadband Internet access and adoption in America, expanding the use of spectrum by all users, advancing public safety communications, and ensuring that the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth.