Diana Goovaerts

Frontier Communications CFO Scott Beasley knows a thing or two about finance. After all, he’s spent the past four years guiding the operator from bankruptcy to not only profitability but a $20 billion acquisition by telecommunications giant Verizon. As the data center industry rolls full steam ahead into a high-cost building boom, he’s got some words of wisdom: look into asset-backed securities. Unlike other funding vehicles, ABS use income-generating assets as collateral. ABS vehicles have historically been used by tower companies to raise money for new projects.

When Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr issued his big deregulation announcement, I have to admit I chortled a little bit at my desk. The irony of the announcement just tickled my funny bone. At a certain point, there’s nothing else to do but laugh.

The U.S.

Nearly 30 state broadband officers attended the recent Fierce Network Broadband Nation Expo in Washington, D.C., where they outlined some of their top concerns related to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Some of their top issues include when they will disburse funds for broadband projects, who will bid for BEAD monies, what types of technologies they’ll use to deliver broadband to unserved locations and how they’ll set the high-cost thresholds in their states. State broadband officers also talked about the cost and availability of middle-mile networks.

With Election Day in the rearview mirror, the U.S. is considering what a second Donald Trump administration means for the country. For the broadband industry, that means wondering what will happen with the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The long and the short of it? The biggest influence on BEAD could come from outside the government.

Though votes are still being counted, the verdict appears to be clear. Donald Trump won. So, now what? Surprisingly, that question has a few easy answers—as well as a few that are less clear. First things first. Historically, the party in power has held a 3-2 majority at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), allowing them to carry out the president’s policy agenda.

State officials have been working hard to suss out what kinds of skills ISPs need and how best to attract and train up new workers, said Edyn Rolls, Chief Strategic Officer for the Oklahoma Broadband Office. For instance, Oklahoma State University conducted a nationwide study to identify what areas of the broadband workforce need the biggest boost, she said. GIS mapping and engineering skills would be most in demand, the study found.

Procurement, permitting and people. Those are the three Ps to remember if you want to ensure a smooth broadband build. Steven Greene, Technical Program Manager at the Utah Broadband Center, said broadband builders often assume they can readily get the supplies they need for their projects. But without a solid procurement plan in place, shortages can quickly become problematic. That’s especially true of upcoming Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) projects.

The good news about the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program? Shovels could be in the ground in some states as soon as next summer. The bad news? One state official said it likely won’t be able to finish its subgrantee selection process until 2026 and dubbed BEAD a “10-year slog.” Here’s everything you need to know about what officials from Nevada, New York, Massachusetts and North Dakota said about the program:

AT&T is ramping up its efforts around fixed wireless (FWA) access this year, but doesn’t seem to have changed its mind that the tech is fundamentally a bridge to better things. However, not everyone shares the view that FWA should be relegated to a stopgap. AT&T AVP Angela Wilkin highlighted AT&T’s efforts to expand its Internet Air consumer FWA product across the parts of 48 states and the operator's introduction of a business version of the tech earlier this year.