How will rural broadband providers survive BEAD’s next phase?

AI dominated Fiber Connect 2026 in Orlando, but broadband did make it into a few discussions, especially those focused on what's become of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. Money has started to roll out, which is a good thing, but now smaller broadband operators are facing operational reality, according to Adrian Fitzgerald. “If the first round was deployment…the second round is really going to be non-deployment,” said Fitzgerald, who is chief revenue officer at JSI, a consultancy firm that supports Tier 3 operators. “They have to prepare for operational excellence.” Unfortunately, operational excellence is a weakness among many rural providers. Indeed, they must run increasingly complex businesses with limited internal resources. Fitzgerald described operators that have to handle everything from engineering and construction planning to regulatory compliance, customer service and financial reporting with limited staff. “These people have to know every bit of their business,” he said. This is where a company like JSI enters the picture. “We do everything other than put the shovels in the ground,” Fitzgerald said, referring to support that ranges from network design and grant writing to compliance and outsourced operations. The firm has also helped clients secure federal funding and manage the obligations that come with it.