The two technicians behind BEAD’s first connected home

After several stalls and an administration overhaul, Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment money has at last started flowing into states, and—according to rural service provider Vistabeam—households. With funding now reaching actual crews on the ground, the program may be moving beyond its long-running limbo. In May, a farm near Ogallala, Nebraska, became the first home reported to be connected through the program using both fiber and fixed-wireless equipment. Ricardo Moreno and Robert Stobel were the two technicians to complete the connection. "They asked me if I wanted to be the first one. I was like, 'Of course, I'd like to be part of that,” said Moreno, the senior field tech who installed the service in the home. “I took the extra time because I knew it was an 11‑mile shot. So let's find the best signal in the house... Found the best signal, did the install, customer was happy." Stobel, a veteran tower technician, serviced the tower feeding that 11-mile link. At first, he said it was like any other project, but after a few weeks, “it kind of blew up” with momentum as they were given the context.