States Still Working on Verifying LEO Program Performance: State Officials
Figuring out ways to gauge the reliability of low earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband and its compliance with connectivity program requirements remains a work in progress, state broadband officials said Thursday during an Ookla virtual panel. David Bresnahan, the Maine Connectivity Authority's senior manager of grants and programs, said the state is awaiting official BEAD guidance on compliance. However, he said, it will be using randomized speed testing and other performance metrics, and third-party verification will be needed.
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Bresnahan and Jaren Tengan, broadband coordinator for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, said the lack of complaints about their respective satellite-driven connectivity programs indicates that LEO operators -- chiefly SpaceX -- are meeting users' expectations. Tengan also said third-party speed-testing data will be key to verification.
Maine intends to roll its Working Internet ASAP program into BEAD, Bresnahan said. The program launched in early 2024 and provides Starlink kits and installation to state residents without internet service. So far, it has been "a good solution for some of those folks that would be incredibly hard to get to," he said, noting that it covers 3,000-4,000 locations. He said there are locations in northern Maine that lack any pole infrastructure and have homes sitting a mile off the road, essentially precluding use of technologies other than LEO.
Tengan said fixed-wireless access coverage to some tribal lands proved to be too intermittent, which led to Hawaii focusing on satellite coverage for those territories.
Satellite is claiming "a sizable chunk" of BEAD allocations, Ookla analyst Mike Dano said. SpaceX thus far has received about 3% of total BEAD funding, while Amazon's Kuiper has received a little less than 1%, he said. Dano also noted that SpaceX's Starlink performance speeds in North America have been increasing over the past year, even as it also adds customers.