Supply Chain Transparency Legislation Important for Timely Broadband Bills

KEYSTONE, Colorado, May 25, 2022 – Senator John Hickenlooper, D-Col., said Wednesday at the Mountain Connect conference that legislation that would require the Federal Communications Commission to catch potential supply chain problems early is part of a larger effort to ensure America is connected to high-speed internet in a timely manner.

The Network Equipment Transparency Act, introduced by Hickenlooper in February of this year, would make the broadband supply chain problems more transparent to “ensure an on-time rollout of the broadband programs managed by the Federal Communications Commission.”

“We want to make sure that the FCC has to monitor, and that they detect, problems long before they become crises,” Hickenlooper said, emphasizing the importance of leaders having foresight for future needs.

Hickenlooper said that the bill would shine a light on the supply chain disruptions that are impacting broadband projects, as billions in funding awaits rollout from the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act.

Already, supply chain issues are pushing fiber deployments back and causing concern among the industry. Such supply shortages are also causing existing fiber build supplies to increase in price.