Despite BEAD, Bad Internet May Persist in Rural Areas

Policy changes, technology limitations and problems in mapping data will all, in some way, limit the nation’s ability to bring broadband to rural America, industry watchers said. The states that have invested in standing up broadband offices with highly qualified technical expertise and the administrative heft to develop strong public policy will likely be more successful at closing the digital divide, consultants said. New grant rules for the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program which allow for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology to be considered — and grant rules where states are required to make their BEAD grants available to all broadband technologies as a form of price shopping — are setting the stage for millions of rural homes to have the appearance of being served by broadband, when in fact, they could be badly served or go without. (Examples of LEO tech include the Elon Musk-owned Starlink.) “Post-BEAD, there are going to be millions of households that will remain unserved and underserved. And really, in my mind, it’s a bipartisan betrayal of rural America,” said Tom Reid, president and founder of Reid Consulting Group. “It’s just a really stunning failure of public policy.” Nationwide, 40 to 60 percent of locations “that should be eligible for BEAD are being gaslighted” about its coverage potential, Reid said. LEO limitations include decreased effectiveness in areas with topography or tree coverage; it can have difficulty penetrating leaf cover and surmounting steep terrain.