Are delays to BEAD funding a missed opportunity, or a blessing?
Date Published
The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program represents one of the most ambitious investments in digital infrastructure in U.S. history. Its goal is simple: bring reliable, high-speed broadband to the communities that need it most.
Yet despite the urgency, much of the funding remains caught in a cycle of delays. While frustrating for states, operators, and underserved communities, this pause presents an opportunity that the industry shouldn't waste.
Rather than rushing to deploy yesterday's networks with tomorrow's funding, we should use this time to rethink how BEAD money is invested. Too many projects still rely on the same monolithic network architectures that have dominated broadband for decades. Continuing down that path will ultimately deliver less value for taxpayers, higher long-term costs for operators, and a missed opportunity for the U.S. to lead the next generation of broadband innovation.
Network disaggregation has already demonstrated its value at to operators including AT&T and Deutsche Telekom. By separating hardware from software and embracing cloud-native architectures, operators gain greater flexibility, reduce vendor lock-in, lower operating costs, and create networks that are far easier to evolve over time. Rather thanInstead of building more legacy infrastructure, BEAD funding could help create networks that are designed for the next several decades—not simply the next funding cycle.
Our recent U.S. home broadband satisfaction research reinforces why. Households connected via fiber reported significantly more reliable service, fewer buffering incidents, and greater confidence in their broadband connection. By comparison, customers using DSL or satellite services experienced more interruptions and expressed considerably lower levels of trust in their provider. In fact, satellite users were more than twice as likely to experience buffering as fiber customers (21% versus 9%).
Performance, however, is only part of the story.
There is also an environmental cost that is often overlooked. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband satellites typically have operational lifespans of around five years—a fraction of the lifespan of fiber infrastructure. The tThey burn up during atmospheric re-entry, releasing metal and aluminum oxide particles that can persist in the upper atmosphere and contribute to chemical processes associated with ozone depletion. While satellite technology has a valuable role in expanding connectivity, its environmental footprint should be part of the conversation when deciding how public funds are allocated.
The delays to BEAD funding are undeniably disappointing. But they also offer a rare chance to pause before billions of dollars are committed.
Instead of accelerating investment in legacy architectures or over-relying on satellite connectivity, we should seize this moment to build broadband infrastructure that is more resilient, more cost-effective, and better prepared for the future. By prioritizing fiber where possible and embracing cloud-native, disaggregated networks, BEAD can do more than close the digital divide—it can help define the future of broadband in the United States.