Dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) manufacturer XKL says that it is compliant with Build-America Buy America (BABA) rules that are part of the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program.
BABA rules dictate that subgrantees, which are service providers and other entities, must meet BABA rules that seek to have as much BEAD infrastructure built by American companies as possible.
“XKL’s mission to make DWDM technology more accessible perfectly coincides with BEAD’s connectivity goals, and provides a pathway to facilitate broadband opportunities for ISPs across the U.S.,” XKL Director of Engineering Mike Fahy said in a statement about the BABA requirements.
“Our products are designed to be highly manageable and reliable. This ensures that our partners can deliver critical connectivity to underserved communities without introducing unnecessary complexity into their networks at layer 1.”
XKL has its manufacturing and headquarters in Redmond, Washington. The company said that growing customer demand has led it to increase its workforce by 25% since 2023.
Determining how best to keep as much of BEAD-related manufacturing as possible in America, to meet BABA requirements, has been a process for XKL and others.
Nokia claims to have been the first vendor to deem itself BABA-compliant via the self-certification process. Last month, the company posted information on 21 products that it had certified. The FX and MF OLT modular product lines, the SF-8M sealed OLT, and the XS-220X-A ONT were highlighted.
The current iteration of BABA rules, that XKL are others are rushing to meet, were contained in a framework released in July by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Pushback to the initial rules led the NTIA to issue a waiver in February. That led to rules covering self-certification and compliance for manufacturers and subgrantees.
