BEAD's pivot toward supposed tech neutrality is concerning if it treats alternatives to fiber such as low earth orbit satellites or fixed wireless as interchangeable with fiber, New America blogged Monday. LEO and fixed wireless have lower upfront deployment costs than fiber, but a fiber connection has vastly more capacity than LEO and a useful life of dozens of years, it said. Fiber might be more expensive upfront, but it could save replacement later, New America said, adding states must ensure that plans for universal access will be viable long-term solutions, it added. There also is a trade-off between fiber and LEO on service quality, New America said: SpaceX's Starlink service intermittently meets 100/20 Mbps speeds, while fiber capacity is more likely to be sufficient in the future, even given growing consumer bandwidth needs.
Oklahoma is "holding off" on its subgrant selection process for the BEAD and tribal broadband connectivity program following NTIA's rescoping of BEAD, the state's Broadband Office said during a governing board meeting Tuesday (see 2503060047). The office will soon release a second request for information (RFI) for network expansion territories as it awaits NTIA's next move concerning programmatic changes.
Every Maine resident "who wanted a connection could get one" by the end of 2024, the Maine Connectivity Authority said in its annual impact report. Released Monday, the report found that 3% of locations have slow or unreliable internet, while 1% could connect only through the state's working internet ASAP program. The report said that BEAD funding will upgrade the remaining 26,000 broadband serviceable locations whose service is at less than 100/20 Mbps. "We have made great progress, but the work is not done," wrote MCA President Andrew Butcher, adding that the agency will launch a $15 million digital opportunity campaign to expand digital equity initiatives. It will also "begin construction on a state-owned middle mile network" and launch a "wireless and cellular initiative" to improve mobile service.
Despite numerous signs that big changes are ahead for BEAD, states will likely stay the course on their programs and should, broadband consultants and others told us. The only smart play is for states to stay in close contact with NTIA and try to figure out what to expect, several said. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said earlier this month that a review of BEAD rules was underway (see 2503050067), and the former head of the program, Evan Feinman, predicted rules changes were coming from the Trump administration (see 2503170045). Commerce didn't comment.
The full FCC should overturn the Media Bureau’s dismissal of the Media and Democracy Project’s petition to deny against Fox’s WTXF Philadelphia, MAD said in a response filing in docket 25-11 Monday. Fox argued earlier this month that the FCC should affirm the Media Bureau order, which came under previous FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. Current Chairman Brendan Carr reinstated petitions against NBC, ABC, and CBS that Rosenworcel had dismissed but didn't resurrect MAD's Fox petition. MAD conceded in a news release Monday that “it's unlikely" Carr "will move quickly to review MAD's appeal.” Fox said MAD “has sought to treat Fox 29 Philadelphia as collateral in its efforts to punish Fox 29 Philadelphia’s corporate parent for speech disfavored by MAD that never even aired on the broadcast station.” The bureau order dismissing MAD’s petition “properly applied the Communications Act and FCC precedent,” Fox added. It continued that MAD hasn’t identified Fox conduct that is relevant to the FCC character standards.
NTIA's outgoing BEAD director warned of the "significant risk" of program changes that would saddle rural America with subpar broadband access but benefit SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. In a 1,100-word letter sent over the weekend to colleagues and friends after his last day on Friday as head of BEAD, Evan Feinman said changes coming down the pike from Commerce include a limit on per-location BEAD spending and some kind of pause, as well as an increase in low earth orbit (LEO) satellites and a reduction in fiber use. States already face BEAD uncertainty in light of Commerce this month dropping the fiber preference and saying it was undertaking a review of other program rules (see 2503060047).
Vermont wants applications by April 16 at 11:55 p.m. from ISPs interested in participating in its BEAD program, the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) announced Tuesday. The state received $239 million in BEAD funding. The VCBB said it's "aware that the BEAD program is under federal review and will keep prospective subrecipients apprised of any changes that will affect the full proposal process, including changes to scoring," adding that "until any notice from the NTIA, the VCBB will continue to implement the VT-BEAD program in accordance with Vermont’s Initial Proposal."
The Donald Trump administration’s attack on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs is misguided and won’t be sustained long term, consultant Deborah Lathen said Wednesday at a Broadband Breakfast webinar. Other speakers said it could take years to convince people about the importance of broadband in areas that are just being connected while confusion reigns on the future of the BEAD program.
The FCC is "moving at breakneck speed" and "really swinging for the fences" since the start of the Trump administration, Chairman Brendan Carr said Tuesday at Incompas' Policy Summit. Carr reiterated his "pretty aggressive agenda," which includes addressing media issues, reining in Big Tech, pushing initiatives that will "spur economic growth," and supporting national security and public safety.
States face less certainty and clarity about the BEAD program in light of Commerce axing its fiber focus and indicating more rules changes could be forthcoming, according to broadband policy experts. Earlier in the week, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the agency is launching a review of BEAD rules and dropping its emphasis on fiber (see 2503050067).