Recent federal funding changes have paused some programs or grants but the Oklahoma Broadband Office appears to be in good shape. In 2025, the office awarded more than 180 projects amounting to over $500 million in grants for broadband infrastructure projects across the state. Broadband officials are gearing up for more projects this year. Mike Sanders, executive director of the Oklahoma Broadband Office, said the contracts are signed for the monies delivered last year from the American Rescue Plan Act through the State and Local Recovery Funds and the Capital Projects Funds, and won’t be touched. Another expected $750 million dollar pot of money for infrastructure projects through the Broadband, Equity Access and Deployment program he said is also expected to come through still. 

When President Joe Biden put $42 billion behind making high-speed internet accessible across the US, he committed to doing it the old-fashioned way—with miles upon miles of fiber-optic lines. That frustrated Elon Musk, who said his Starlink satellite-internet business could get rural areas online faster, at lower cost. Biden’s decision helped drive a wedge between the Democratic president and the world’s richest person, who later used his wealth to help return Donald Trump to the White House. Now, some Republicans want to open the floodgates for Starlink to compete with fiber, potentially shifting billions to Musk. While fiber can offer faster connections and is highly durable, it can take years to install at scale. Critics say satellite and 5G wireless networks can expand web service to remote areas with fewer delays and less ground-based infrastructure.