Wireless Internet

Starlink is all over the broadband news lately. The SpaceX-owned broadband provider has come a long way since it first launched 60 satellites in May 2019.

It’s a good thing the Federal Communications Commission is planning to approve satellite licenses via an assembly-line process, because SpaceX has filed an application with the FCC, seeking to deploy its new Gen3 broadband constellation of up to 100,000 low-Earth-orbit satellites.

Hindsight is 20/20. But you didn’t need a crystal ball in 2019 to know that the U.S. government’s decision to tap Dish Network (eventually, Dish Wireless) to become the country’s fourth wireless carrier wouldn’t pan out well. And the regulators who waved it on—both at the time and as cracks in the plan became more evident—need to be held accountable. I’d argue that we never should have even gotten to this point. Not even close.

Broadband in the United States is changing faster than ever, and understanding these shifts is essential for strategic decision-making. The Broadband in America Report series delivers nationwide insights into broadband coverage, cost, competition, and funding across all network technologies, with updated analysis published each spring and fall. Complementary reports provide deeper dives into the technologies and market forces reshaping the telecommunications landscape. This edition focuses on a clear turning point in U.S.

The Wireless Infrastructure Association announced it has been selected as one of five organizations nationwide to receive funding through a $29.9 million US. Department of Labor cooperative agreement designed to help employers establish and maintain registered apprenticeship programs. The award will enable WIA to provide participating employers with pay-for-performance incentives that support the development, expansion, and long-term success of apprenticeship programs across the telecommunications industry.

One of the biggest things to emerge from Dish’s bankruptcy filing is EchoStar’s plan to sell Dish Wireless, with EchoStar acting as a stalking horse bidder, meaning it would set a minimum price for the assets. Under the plan submitted to the U.S.

Amazon Leo will begin providing services later this year, according to a project update from the company. The report says that Amazon Leo—formerly Project Kuiper—began full deployment in April 2025. So far, the low Earth orbit provider has conducted 14 missions consisting of more than 375 satellites. The update says that the launch rate will accelerate, and more than 100 satellite launches are booked for the future. Amazon Leo is also changing a key vendor, the company announced. It is transitioning from the United Launch Alliance to the Vulcan launch vehicle, which has more capacity. 

The Texas office responsible for distributing over $5 billion in state and federal money to expand rural broadband faced allegations of “favoritism” and offering “sweetheart” deals at a recent hearing of the state Senate’s Business and Commerce Committee. At the June 24 hearing, lawmakers suggested the Texas Broadband Development Office was changing rules and giving special treatment to companies that offer broadband via low earth orbit satellites. According to testimony, some of those changes came at the suggestion of the office of Gov. Greg Abbott.

What’s the status of the Boost Mobile cell phone service now that Dish Wireless and Dish DBS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection? In a few words: It’s business as usual, as EchoStar pointed out in its press release.

The AWS-3 reauction closed at $3.57 billion, and the number is inflated. Strip out EchoStar, which bid to raise prices rather than to win, and the auction raises about $2.0 billion. EchoStar walked away with two trivial licenses in Guam. Its purpose was never to win spectrum; it was to push the clearing price past the roughly $2.9 billion that erased its own default penalty, and Verizon and T-Mobile paid the difference.