Randolph Luening
What Does Tech-Neutrality Mean for BEAD?
The BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice released on June 6, 2025, is full of changes. One is a shift in language from “fiber first” and “Extremely High Cost per Location Threshold” to “technology-neutral.” After another round of bidding, under new rules, where will BEAD end up? Will the fiber networks the public has been expecting emerge, or will they be largely replaced by fixed wireless networks and satellite? A hopeful scenario is that: