Some BEAD Winners Seeing Tight Fiber Market

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2026 – Some rural broadband providers are struggling to secure fiber that complies with a $42.45 billion grant program’s domestic manufacturing rules.

Two ISPs participating in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, plus a distributor, contractor, and others described orders for fiber being unexpectedly canceled in recent weeks. Most requested anonymity to avoid jeopardizing business relationships. 

“We have heard concerns in recent weeks of timeframes slipping, and concerns about the ability to obtain supplies at all, as circumstances change,” said Mike Romano, executive vice president and incoming CEO of NTCA, which represents smaller rural broadband providers. “We haven’t surveyed everybody to get the exact scope of it, but it’s been a significant enough level of concern that we’ve heard about it from repeated corners.”