BEAD winners fret over fiber costs, lead times

Optical vendors Corning, AFL, Lightera and Prysmian released a joint statement reaffirming their ability to supply fiber to support the entirety of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The announcement seemed intended to dissuade fears rumbling throughout the industry about constrained fiber supply, driven in part by demand from hyperscalers. But discussions with service providers suggest those concerns are still mounting. Multiple small and midsize internet service providers (ISPs), speaking on the condition of anonymity, discussed their own difficulty obtaining fiber that is compliant with BEAD's Build America, Buy America (BABA) rules, requiring the use of US-made optical fiber and fiber optic cable. BEAD is set to devote $21 billion to broadband deployment projects, with roughly 63% of eligible locations in the program to receive fiber connections. But several ISPs have now raised alarm that dramatic price increases for fiber optic cable and long lead times could make it impossible to fulfill their BEAD awards on time and on budget