Masha Abarinova

It’s fairly obvious by now long-haul fiber and data center connectivity matter for AI innovation. But where do last mile fiber-to-the-premises deployments factor in? Network automation is perhaps the most apparent use-case, but fiber operators are also be well-positioned to house future AI edge applications.

Fiber vendors have long been banking on the promise of revenue opportunities via the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program and rural broadband expansion, but the hype is simmering down in light of fiber's uncertainty in the new administration. As a result, communications equipment vendors are eyeing greener pastures. For the most part, vendors are “being pretty quiet about the BEAD opportunity because so much is still up in the air,” said Dell’Oro Group VP Jeff Heynen.

AT&T ran a wavelength that carried two 800 Gigabit Ethernet circuits across 296 kilometers of its commercial long-distance fiber network, creating "a full, uninterrupted data path utilizing a single light frequency across the entire fiber length between two points.” Practically speaking, this means AT&T can brace itself for the incoming barrage of network traffic, which is set to double by 2028. Importantly, AT&T's trial took place “with other customers’ live traffic alongside it,” said Dell’Oro Group analyst Jimmy Yu.

Regardless of the final form it ends up taking, the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program is poised to play a key role in addressing rural connectivity. But the rural access divide isn’t the only issue we need to worry about, according to New Street Research Policy Analyst Blair Levin.

SpaceX’s Starlink is dipping its toes into the affordable broadband market, with the launch of its “Residential Lite” service in 15 U.S. states. While it’s cheaper than Starlink’s standard residential plan, the move is hardly a gamechanger for rural broadband connectivity.

The trade group ACA Connects kicked off its annual summit with what’s on the forefront of everyone’s mind right now – the state of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. Changes to BEAD are imminent, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick plans to eliminate the program’s fiber preference. But Sen John Curtis (R-UT) didn’t talk about that in the opening keynote.

As we patiently wait for news on the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, the U.S. Senate is pushing for legislation that could make it less costly for rural ISPs to apply for BEAD. Or so the industry hopes. Sens Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Mark Warner (D-VA) led a bill that would amend the Internal Revenue Service code so federal broadband deployment funding would not be considered taxable income.

Brendan Carr, newly minted chair of the Federal Communications Commission, has been plenty busy making his mark in the telecommunications regulatory landscape. Here's a look at the most notable events that have transpired during Carr's first 30 days—and what we can expect in the months to come:

We’re creeping closer to the one-year mark since the federal government axed the Affordable Connectivity Program due to lack of funding, which left over 23 million low-income households without affordable internet. But folks didn’t just lose the $30/month subsidy and a reliable broadband connection.

Like most internet service providers, municipalities face their fair share of challenges when building broadband networks. Particularly, they need to convince financiers that it’s a worthwhile investment. Securing funds is especially tricky when the incumbents don’t want to play ball. Ernie Staten, Public Service Department Director for the City of Fairlawn, Ohio, said when Fairlawn asked some local internet service providers if they were interested in a partnership to build a citywide network, they basically laughed at the idea.