Fiber optic cable manufacturer AFL announced a multimillion-dollar expansion of its Spartanburg County facility. The company said the expansion could help expand Internet access. Company officials revealed the $50 million investment to White House representatives and local leaders on Tuesday. “We’re already up and running and have room to expand even more,” said Grant Burns, executive vice president and general counsel. “You can imagine this room we’re in right now is a room full of engineers working hard on new products and things like that. We’re hopefully heading in that direction.” AFL (America Fujikura Limited) officials said they covered the cost of the expansion themselves to comply with the Build America Buy America Act. “In its purest form, this act and your support is bringing critical technology and jobs from Tokyo to Duncan, South Carolina,” said Jackson Lang, president and CEO of AFL. The South Carolina Broadband Office said Internet service providers must buy materials from companies like AFL to get federal funding for broadband expansion. “This means construction will be more efficient,” Commissioner Jim Stritzinger said of the company’s expansion. “Now that AFL is here and it’s cheaper, we’re hoping that the cost of purchasing fiber will go down.” Stritzinger also said there are about 32,000 areas in South Carolina that don’t have internet access. He said that equates to about 100,000 people. He said that’s a hole the state wants to fill in the future. “South Carolina’s entire economy is built on a digital foundation, so if we can get everyone connected, that’s a game changer for everyone,” Stritzinger said.
Fiber optic cable manufacturer AFL has announced plans for a multimillion-dollar expansion to its Spartanburg County facilities that the company says will help expand internet access.
Company executives revealed the $50 million investment to White House representatives and local leaders on Tuesday.
“We’re up and running and we have room for more,” said Grant Burns, executive vice president and general counsel. “I can imagine that this room we’re in right now is full of engineers hard at work developing new products and so on. We’re hopeful that we’re heading in that direction.”
Officials at AFL (America Fujikura Limited) said they covered the cost of the expansion themselves to comply with the American Build-American Buy Act.
“In its purest form, this legislation and your support will bring critical technology and jobs from Tokyo, Japan to Duncan, South Carolina,” said AFL President and CEO Jackson Lang.
The South Carolina Broadband Authority said internet service providers must buy materials from companies like AFL in order to get federal funding for broadband expansion.
“This means construction will be more efficient,” said Director Jim Stritzinger about the company’s expansion. “We expect it will also improve the cost of purchasing fiber optics because AFL is here and it’s cheaper.”
Stritzinger also said there are about 32,000 communities in South Carolina that lack internet access, which translates to about 100,000 people.
He said this is a hole the state hopes to fill in the future.
“South Carolina’s entire economy is built on a digital foundation, so when we’re all connected, it’s game-changing for everyone,” Stritzinger said.
