Is Fixed Wireless Ready for BEAD?

This week, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved 19 state and territory Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program Final Proposals (18 of them on Tuesday and Texas on Thursday), another step towards states breaking ground on BEAD-funded broadband deployment. Since the June 6 BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice from NTIA, many states are dedicating more of their funding to fixed wireless and satellite broadband options. Is that a good thing for BEAD consumers? Sue Marek, Editorial Director of Ookla, has been looking at the speed performance of a variety of broadband technologies over time, including Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite providers. This week, Marek analyzed the performance of eight of the largest U.S. wireless internet service providers (WISPs) over several quarters from Q1 2021 until Q2 2025. All eight WISPs studied by Ookla improved their speed offerings over the observed period. But are their current speed offerings enough for BEAD?