The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is designed to pump money into our economy. With $787 billion dollars available for job and economic growth, the ARRA represents a driving force within our industry. In his article for Cabling Installation and Maintenance, Robert Carlson noted that while the ARRA focuses heavily on the outside plant indusrty (through broadband programs), the premise cabling industry should take note considering "$53 billion is allocated for education and another $59 billion for health care—both of which aim to cover improving information technology (IT) in these vertical markets."
This amount of fuding is enough to grab anyone's attention, but what we should take note of is the "Buy American" provision which sets specific guidelines for the material to be used on a ARRA project. Basically, all manufactured goods most be produced in the United States, but navigating the language and understanding the specifics of the actual bill can be difficult. Not to mention understanding waivers which may apply to certain projects and material. Thankfully, General Cable is willing to help with this strenuous process and has identified their products which meet these requirements.
From General Cable:
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GENERAL CABLE IDENTIFIES ARRA-ELIGIBLE PRODUCTS
General Cable (NYSE: BGC) is pleased to identify that many of its wire and cable products likely qualify for federal stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which was signed into law on February 17, 2009. General Cable’s products include copper, aluminum and fiber optic wire and cable for the energy, industrial, specialty and communications markets. o Preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery; o Assist those most impacted by the recession; The ARRA also contains, at Section 1605, its own preference for products manufactured in America. Under this “Buy American” provision, with limited exceptions, none of the funds appropriated under the ARRA may be used for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States. Although General Cable is a global company, many of its products are manufactured domestically at one of its 13 manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States. These products would likely meet the Buy American requirement of the ARRA. This Act, like all initiatives that may affect wire and cable, will continuously be reviewed by General Cable’s North American Leadership Team to make recommendations to our Corporate Leadership Team so they may develop strategies and product development actions to meet the needs of our customers here in the United States. If you have a specific technical question related to the origin of a wire and cable product you currently buy from General Cable, please provide the product description, part number, end-use application and market details to your General Cable representative. He or she will review it with the appropriate person and provide a response. Please note: All inquiries and responses on ARRA should be documented and sent to Rick Roling, Inside Sales Technical Support Analyst for General Cable North America. Rick’s e-mail address is rroling@generalcable.com or he may be reached via phone at General Cable’s Corporate Headquarters at 859.572.8704. |
I highly recommend reading Robert Carlson's full article which can be found here. He does a nice job of breaking down this sometimes complex provision. Also, you can download General Cable's above release here.
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