More and more states are releasing their draft final proposals for how to spend their Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program funds. Following the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's June 6 announcement that restructured the BEAD Program, all 50 states and U.S. territories are reevaluating their BEAD plans and publicly releasing them for another look.
The Universal Service Fund, operated by the Federal Communications Commission in conjunction with the Universal Service Administrative Company, has grown old, expensive, and ineffective. It is past time for Congress to shrink, modernize, and retool it to address today’s broadband ecosystem. While the Supreme Court recently upheld the legal legitimacy of USF’s funding mechanism, the need to reform the program persists.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr is already a big fan of SpaceX's proposed deal to acquire a swath of spectrum from Charlie Ergen's EchoStar to underpin an advanced direct-to-device offering. The deal "is a potential gamechanger for the American consumer—it promises to light up new spectrum and bring new sources of competition to the wireless and connectivity market.
Major US cable operators have been adamant that they'll return to broadband subscriber growth over time, but have been careful to avoid precise predictions on when the tide will turn. And for good reason. They remain under pressure from fiber and fixed wireless access competition, which is further amplified by a slowdown in residential relocation and new home construction.
Monday, September 15, 2025
Monday, September 15, 2025
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