June 2025

SpaceX’s low-Earth orbit satellite provider Starlink is making inroads in the U.S. broadband market and trying to attract more subscribers by offering free equipment to new customers in states where it says it has excess capacity. Ookla Speedtest data on Starlink indicates that the satellite company’s network performance has been on the uptick over the past couple of years and as of Q1 2025, 17.42 percent of U.S.

AT&T said its fiber network buildout has reached more than 30 million locations, putting it roughly halfway toward its new, end-of-2030 fiber buildout goal. AT&T reached the 30 million milestone about half a year ahead of schedule; the company originally expected to reach it by the end of 2025. AT&T will now pursue its longer-term goal of 60 million fiber locations by 2030.

County officials understand better than anybody that better broadband is economic development. They understand that fiber means people will have enough upload speeds to work from home and how higher-paying jobs uplift a local economy. They were looking at the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program as a tool that would bolster the future of their County. The most disheartening thing about the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Notice is seeing all of the effort local folks have made to get better broadband fall by the wayside.