The Washington Post [unpaywalled]: “The World Wide Web might sound metaphorical, but it’s actually grounded in a physical web of translucent glass filaments crisscrossing the globe. These fiber-optic cables transmit internet data through tiny beams of light, making it possible for us to be online. They run under oceans and across deserts. It is the largest network humans have ever built, and in coming years, it is set to get a lot bigger. he Biden administration’s $42 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, or BEAD, signed into law in 2021 and launched last year, aims to connect every household in America with high-speed internet. States have faced challenges in developing detailed plans for doing that, slowing the rollout and prompting criticism from some would-be beneficiaries and Republican officials. Administration officials say the implementation is complex, with some construction expected next year, and most of it in 2026. The program will pay for the installation of fiber-optic cables in all 50 states, with some strung up on telephone poles and others buried underground…The Washington Post visited the Corning factory in Midland, N.C. — the largest optical fiber facility in the United States — to see how these cables are made. While Corning’s name is still associated with its Pyrex glass baking dishes, which can withstand extreme temperatures, the company also invented optical fiber in 1970, and these cables are now its largest source of revenue…”