The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is falling short, according to a new report by the Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute at the New York Law School.
The research — based on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Broadband Funding Map and state BEAD Final Proposal data — started from a baseline of 3,379,711 locations in the U.S. without terrestrial service at speeds of 100 Mbps download/20 Mbps upload.
The report found that BEAD awards commitments will leave 1,101,356 locations unfunded. Factoring in multiple connections at a location (such as apartments) increases the unserved group to 1,342,667 units.
The report found that approximately 53.8% of those below the 100/20 Mbps line are underserved (as opposed to unserved). The report said the FCC Broadband Funding Map shows that about one third (33.7%) of BEAD locations already have 100/20 Mbps service via wired or fixed wireless technology. This means that BEAD may pass the 20% overbuilding limit in the rules.
The actual total of unserved or underserved may be greater, the report says.
“[B]y setting aside all locations receiving funding from BEAD or another program, we are also implicitly assuming that 100% of funded locations will receive service,” the report said. “However, if BEAD or other programs experience defaults — which are generally unavoidable for deployment programs — the number of unfunded and unserved/underserved locations will increase.”
The study doesn’t include the impact on locations served by low Earth orbit (LEO) providers. That impact will depend on the resolution of a recent issue between Starlink, the major LEO provider, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is administering BEAD.
Late last month, Starlink sent a rider to state broadband offices. It demanded significant changes to many aspects of how LEO providers’ participation in BEAD is managed and assessed. The accompanying backgrounder threatens to pull out of the BEAD Program if its conditions are not met.
The NTIA seemed to push back via a new BEAD document last week, seemingly advising states not to acquiesce to Starlink’s demands. How this plays out will impact the level of coverage provided by the program and, thus, the findings of this latest BEAD report.
