Telecom equipment manufacturer Adtran said this week it’s investing up to $5 million to expand its Huntsville, AL telecom equipment manufacturing plant to meet the growing demand for domestically produced network electronics spurred by the BEAD program’s Made in America provisions in the Infrastructure Law.
Adtran says the move will add up to 300 new jobs to its growing workforce of 1,400. Adtran is expanding its current U.S. production of optical line termination equipment and preparing to onshore the manufacturing of optical network terminals.
Adtran CEO Tom Stanton said, “We look forward to partnering with state broadband offices and network operators across the country as they expand secure, high-speed internet access to millions of Americans. This expansion not only represents a strategic investment in Adtran’s growing workforce and manufacturing capabilities but also demonstrates our long-term commitment to strengthening the domestic supply chain and securing communications networks with American-made equipment.”
Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Coordinator, and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson toured the 270,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for the announcement. “Access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury – it is an essential tool to access education, healthcare and jobs,” said Landrieu.
“The Internet for All initiative is not just a connectivity program, it’s a jobs program – for the people who build the networks and for the people who make the equipment those networks need,” said Davidson. “If network equipment can be made in America, it should be made in America. Companies like Adtran are stepping up and answering that call.” NTIA will release a draft of its Build America, Buy America requirements for the BEAD program later this summer, Inside Towers reported.
Adtran’s event comes on the heels of a similar Buy America announcement from Nokia. The company said it would manufacture fiber-optic broadband products and optical modules in the U.S. for use in the BEAD program, Inside Towers reported.
Adtran says it’s committed to investing in the success of new employees with on-the-job training and by extending the same benefits it offers its current employees, including a college tuition reimbursement program. The company is partnering with local area schools for its high school apprenticeship program and developing a co-op program for college students.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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