'Perfect storm' in fiber supply threatens US broadband targets

Warnings about a US fiber crunch that could slow down broadband deployment have intensified since the summer. In August, Incab America, a Texan maker of fiber-optic cable, notified customers that "a significant fiber shortage is emerging" in a statement signed by Mike Riddle, its president, who blamed data centers for "sucking up all the fiber production capacity." The situation reminded him of 2000, when lead times lengthened to a year. They have now risen to the same level. A wave of investment in data centers, built to train AI's large language models, has quickly gobbled supplies of glass and other materials used in fiber-optic cables. "The three leading glass manufacturers in the United States are experiencing challenges in meeting this heightened demand," observed Riddle in August. "Notably, one manufacturer has already sold all of its fiber inventory through the year 2026."