States feel pressured to hurry up with new BEAD rules
State broadband leaders said they’re short on time – and staff – in carrying out BEAD changes The time crunch also extends to the ISPs that need to supply updated info Despite NTIA’s push to speed up permitting, states still...
Op-Ed: Fiber is the gold standard for rural broadband – BEAD must emphasize it
Op-Ed: Fiber is the gold standard for rural broadband – BEAD must emphasize it As the federal government prepares to invest tens of billions in rural broadband through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, the choice of...
AFL Talks BEAD Delays, AI Demands, and Fiber Resilience
At Fiber Connect in Nashville, Ryan O’Sullivan, Commercial Sales Director at AFL, joins FMTV’s Alejandro Piñero to unpack the uncertainty swirling around the BEAD rollout. With funding delays, shifting policies, and tariff rollbacks clouding the near-term outlook, O’Sullivan describes how...
Looming new BEAD rules slash hopes for faster deployment
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a new BEAD funding notice is coming soon States will likely have to redo their grant proposals from scratch BEAD money probably won’t flow until 2026 or later, said New Street’s Blair Levin The wait...
Some Republican senators are concerned about a pause to BEAD
Some Republican Senators don’t want to see a pause in the BEAD program The incoming Secretary of Commerce has been non-committal in how he might handle the BEAD program Senator Shelly Capito (R-WV) wrote in comments, “My state has jumped...
Has BEAD frozen over? What you need to know
The White House wants to temporarily freeze federal grants – a move that would presumably impact the BEAD program New Street Research saw this coming, as Republicans amp up the conversation around BEAD reform Despite the pending freeze, there are...
With Trump now in office, what about BEAD?
Before anything changes with the BEAD program, Trump needs to name a new NTIA administrator States waiting for NTIA to approve their BEAD proposals may see their deployment plans stall A new NTIA regime could lower the program’s high-cost threshold,...
With changes looming, NTIA sets the record straight on alternate BEAD tech
NTIA published its final rules on alternative BEAD technologies just weeks before the start of Trump’s second term Providers using unlicensed fixed wireless spectrum can apply for BEAD – as long as they use licensed spectrum as well Low-earth orbit...
New Mexico doesn’t want to just sit around and wait for BEAD
New Mexico wants $70 million to subsidize satellite broadband deployments, and Maine already stood up a similar program These satellite subsidies aren’t meant to replace fiber deployments, but BEAD program policy will likely undergo significant changes in the next year...
Montana’s broadband director has beef with BEAD process
Montana’s broadband director was critical of the NTIA’s handling of BEAD at a Senate sub-committee hearing today But Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. slammed Republicans for their griping about BEAD Meanwhile, NTIA says it’s working as...