NTIA chief rules out BEAD fiber Buy America waiver as AI-driven costs strain builds

At the Technology Policy Institute's Aspen Forum on August 18, 2026, AT&T and Lumen policy executives said supply chain costs are rising and permitting remains a challenge as broadband and AI-driven network expansion compete for capacity. NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth had told lawmakers earlier in the summer that she does not plan to waive BEAD's requirement that funded fiber be American-made, even as some state broadband officials, including in Minnesota, have said they would support waiver requests to keep BEAD projects viable amid rising costs.