Nokia recently announced that it is the first technology vendor to self-certify its fiber products manufactured in the United States. The company has made sure that each product is BABA compliant and has met the self-certification requirements for the BEAD program. With this, BEAD applicants may now obtain a certification letter from Nokia to show BABA compliance.
The BEAD program has $42.45 billion in available funding for those who wish to participate in it. Under federal penalty, operators and players in infrastructure that desire to participate in BEAD must ensure that certain fiber broadband equipment used in their network buildouts are manufactured in the United States.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration made a self-certification and compliance framework for manufacturers and allows them to show that their products meet the requirements. If a manufacturer completes the self-certification process, they are then added to a list managed by the Department of Commerce. In order to lower the number of fraudulent BABA compliance claims, there is enforcement of manufacturers having an officer of that company certify that its products are Buy America-compliant. On top of this, manufacturers must provide a BABA certification letter to subgrantees for auditing purposes.
Among Nokia’s certified products are the Nokia FX and MF OLT modular product lines, Nokia SF-8M sealed OLT, and XS-220X-A ONT.
Sandy Motley, President of Fixed Networks at Nokia, stated, “We are excited to announce yet another milestone in our BEAD journey. As a certified vendor, we can now provide BEAD applicants with a certification letter that’s become essential for applications and BABA reporting requirements. It also provides the confidence and assurance several need to submit product orders today without fear of being out of compliance.”
