Biden Broadband Plan Runs Headlong Into ‘Buy American’ Mandate

Most of the value of new broadband networks lies in the labor and materials such as fiber and towers, with electronics making up less than 10% of network value, according to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, or ITIF, a non-profit policy group.

That means spending will go largely into US paychecks and ledgers, regardless of the source of electronics, said Joe Kane, ITIF’s director of broadband and spectrum policy.

“You’re going to get a lot of the benefit of Build America provisions even if you allow waivers,” Kane said in an interview. “It’s not as if we’re saying, ‘Oh we’re going to ship all the BEAD money overseas.’”