Mike Dano

Although there's nothing concrete yet on the topic from Trump 2.0, Washington insiders are growing more hopeful that the new US president will push through regulations that will help 5G network operators deploy more cell towers for services like fixed wireless access (FWA). That would undoubtedly please big 5G carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile as well as smaller players like C Spire, which are already offering FWA service to millions of customers.

An AT&T effort to replace aging copper connections with wireless options is gaining regulatory steam, potentially paving the way for more operators to do the same. That could have significant implications for the wireless network operators offering those alternatives.

T-Mobile is part of the consortium that won Louisiana's biggest Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) award. However, the company declined to provide much detail about the role it's playing. "We'll be bringing wireless service on our 5G network," a T-Mobile representative wrote. The representative declined to provide details. Thus, it's not clear whether T-Mobile is funding the consortium, or whether it will provide fixed wireless or mobile services to Louisiana's BEAD locations. 

It's very likely that the incoming Trump administration will smile on satellite Internet companies such as SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper. And that could have serious implications for fiber vendors like Calix and Corning, as well as fiber network operators like AT&T, Brightspeed, Altice, Windstream and others. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is designed to funnel $42.45 billion through US states for broadband networks in rural areas.

The fixed wireless access (FWA) market has largely matured, and it's no longer offering many surprises. As a result, the pressure the technology has put on the cable industry appears to be easing. "We now have better insights into FWA collectively," wrote the financial analysts at New Street Research. The analysts now expect T-Mobile to gain around 1.45 million fixed wireless customers next year.

Amazon is applying for federal funding for broadband Internet providers. And that, according to the CEO of equipment supplier Calix, shows that Amazon is "the wolf in sheep's clothing." "They are applying for BEAD to compete with all of our customers," said Calix CEO Michael Weening. Amazon, Weening said, is "the enemy of every broadband provider out there." BEAD is the Biden administration's Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, and it's designed to funnel $42.45 billion through US states for broadband networks in rural areas.

AT&T is urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to move existing CBRS spectrum users to a different portion of the 3GHz band.

Verizon's $20 billion play for fiber network operator Frontier Communications likely won't encounter any major troubles from regulators or competitors, according to a handful of financial analysts. "Frontier will be acquired by Verizon," wrote the financial analysts at TD Cowen.

It looks like Congress will remain deadlocked over how to release spectrum for 5G.

Cable company Charter Communications is cutting around 1,000 jobs as part of its efforts to consolidate its call center operations. Charter said it would work to transfer some affected employees to open jobs in other locations. In its latest financial filing, Charter reported around 101,000 full-time employees.