Two fiber optic manufacturers near Hickory, North Carolina, CommScope and Corning, are investing a combined nearly $550 million and creating hundreds of new jobs, according to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson.

CommScope announced a $47 million investment towards expanding its U.S. fiber optic cable manufacturing, including its facility in Catawba, North Carolina, which is already the largest hybrid-fiber-coaxial facility for broadband networks in the world. According to CommScope, this facility will produce a new rural fiber optic cable that is specifically designed for rural areas.

Corning announced the expansion of its U.S. manufacturing capacity with the opening of its manufacturing campus near Hickory today. It builds on the more than $500 million that Corning has invested in fiber and cable manufacturing since 2020. The company has also formed a partnership with NTCA — The Rural Broadband Association — to dedicate a portion of the cable manufactured at its facility to small, rural providers and co-ops that will connect Americans across the country.

Secretary Raimondo and Assistant Secretary Davidson traveled to Hickory March 29 to celebrate the announcement, which they said was made possible by the Administration’s Internet for All Initiative.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires the use of Made-in-America materials and products for federally funded infrastructure projects including high-speed Internet deployment in America.