An employee at PLP’s Albemarle, N.C., manufacturing facility prepares dead-ends for cabling and forming operations. (Photo: PLP/PRNewswire)
Preformed Line Products is reportedly the first manufacturer of fiber closure and pole line hardware to self-certify BABA Compliance for the U.S. BEAD Program.
CLEVELAND—Preformed Line Products Company (PLP), a U.S. manufacturer of critical broadband infrastructure components, reported that it is the first fiber optic closure and pole line hardware manufacturer to self-certify several of its core products as compliant with the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act requirements of the U.S. Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
The BABA Act is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It mandates strict U.S. domestic sourcing requirements for all related programs, including the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program.
The BEAD Program allocates $42.5 billion in federal grants to “U.S. states and territories for the planning, deployment, and adoption of projects and activities that provide high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved communities,” PLP said in a release.
The company stated that it has been a strong advocate for U.S. manufacturing and American workers since its founding in Cleveland in 1947. Its state-of-the-art plants in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Ohio are said to manufacture thousands of components used in critical communications and power networks worldwide, including fiber optic splice closures, pedestals, and pole line hardware devices.
These BABA-compliant products are essential for future U.S. infrastructure projects, including those funded by the BEAD Program and other critical infrastructure initiatives, PLP said in the release.
“As a leading U.S. manufacturer of many components that require Build America, Buy America compliance, we are committed to ensuring that our customers and their infrastructure projects adhere to the IIJA’s BABA mandate, not only because it supports American jobs and the overall economy, but also because it aligns with our long-standing pledge to provide our customers with the highest-quality American-made products backed by unparalleled local support,” said John Hofstetter, executive vice president of U.S. Operations at PLP, in a statement.
An employee at PLP’s Rogers, Ark., manufacturing facility assembles COYOTE® Dome Closures for shipment. (Photo: PLP/PRNewswire)
Since the beginning of 2022, PLP has reportedly invested more than $60 million in new facilities, capacity enhancements, and equipment upgrades that further strengthen its U.S. manufacturing operations. Its investments include a recent $27 million expansion project at the company’s Rogers, Arkansas manufacturing plant and the acquisition of a manufacturing facility in Peninsula, Ohio.
“Although PLP is already well-positioned as a prominent U.S. manufacturer with strong domestic supplier relationships and has many products that are compliant from day one, we are being diligent with our certification process,” said Matthew Becker, senior market manager of North America Communications at PLP, in the release. “While we currently self-certify hundreds of core products, we anticipate this number to quickly grow into the thousands as we continuously evaluate existing SKUs and bring new domestic production resources online.”
The company’s current list of certified BABA-compliant products includes enclosures such as COYOTE® Drop Cable Closures and Dome Closures; iron or steel products such as False Dead-Ends and Strand Splices; and other network equipment like SLACKLOOP® Plastic In-Span Storage, FIBERLIGN® Dielectric Dampers, and Air Flow Spoilers.