Perhaps the most significant change made to the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is that fiber is no longer the preferred networking technology. Yesterday, the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society republished a 2024 study from the University of Nebraska at Kearney that looked at the impact of substituting wireless for fiber technology.
Six technologies — fiber, cable, fixed wireless, DSL, geostationary satellite, and smartphone hotspots — were tested in 296 rural households on the Raspberry Pi network in three types of communities: isolated farmsteads, small towns, and urban neighborhoods.
The 2024 study found that fiber provided the most satisfaction (3.72 out of 5) and smartphone hotspot the least (2.50). Geostationary satellite, with a medium monthly bill of $90, was the most expensive. DSL and smartphone hotspot, at $70, were the least expensive.
The study suggests that a transition from fiber to wireless — a possible outcome of the new BEAD guidelines — could have a significant impact. It found that the latency gap was huge: Median latency of the group being tested was 24 ms for fiber and 686 ms for geostationary satellites. The report calls latency “a hidden arbiter of quality.”
A second finding is that satisfaction is far lower for households with DSL or satellite than with wired connections, even if comparable speeds are promised.
A representative from WISPA – the Association for Broadband Without Boundaries told Telecompetitor that fixed wireless internet and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband have improved significantly since the study was undertaken in 2024.
Additional information about the latest changes to the BEAD Program are here. More general information, including links to state funding resources, previous awards made, state-specific Telecompetitor coverage and more, can be found on Telecompetitor’s Broadband Nation pages.
