NC telecom giant near Charlotte pulls the plug on $60M expansion + 250 new jobs
One of Catawba County’s largest employers is pulling the plug on its $60 million expansion plan that promised to create 250 jobs. And with the plans no longer on the table, the state terminated an almost $2 million economic development agreement grant.
On Tuesday, North Carolina’s Economic Investment Committee canceled a 2023 job development investment grant for CommScope to expand its fiber optic manufacturing facility in the town of Catawba, about an hour north of Charlotte.
This decision followed CommScope informing the state in a Dec. 3 letter that it would not achieve its local hiring or investment goals.
North Carolina had awarded CommScope up to $1.9 million in incentives that would have been given out over 12 years. While CommScope intends to remain in North Carolina, the expansion will no longer happen due to financial uncertainties, the telecommunications company said.
In its letter addressed to state Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, CommScope cited delays in grant funding from the federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. This program, signed into law in 2021, aims to expand high-speed internet access to all American by providing infrastructure funding.
But in June, several federal agencies under the guidance of President Donald Trump updated grant requirements. The departments gave states 90 days to implement the new policies, delaying funding.
CommScope also was recently acquired by Amphenol Corp., another telecommunications company, for $10.5 billion. This sale, CommScope told the state commerce department, made facility planning more difficult.
CommScope is Catawba County’s second-largest manufacturing employer. In its letter to the state, the company said it employs 1,476 workers in North Carolina and has invested more than $25 million under its now-ended jobs grant while receiving none of the awarded incentive money.
The company said it plans to continuing collaborating with the county and the state.
About CommScope
Other major changes are on the horizon for Commscope.
On Monday, Amphenol announced that its acquisition of CommScope’s Connectivity and Cable Solutions business was complete.
About 20,000 employees will now work for the Connecticut-based Amphenol, according to a news release. Amphenol expects the new division to generate about $4.1 billion in full-year 2026 sales.
The acquisition turns over the CommScope name to Amphenol. And the remaining company will be rebranded as Vistance Networks effective Jan. 14, according to the news release.
It’s unclear what the acquisition and rebranding means for the sites in Catawba County, in the town of Catawba and the small city of Claremont.
CommScope officials did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
The company has 20,000 employees worldwide, with a total revenue of $4.2 billion, according to its 2024 annual earnings report.
This story was originally published January 14, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
