Panelists Joust Over LEO Role in BEAD
The fiber industry and proponents of alternative connectivity technologies butted heads Wednesday over the viability of their solutions. During a Broadband Breakfast webinar, Fiber Broadband Association CEO Gary Bolton repeatedly called low earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity, such as SpaceX's Starlink service, "unreliable" -- language that other panelists challenged.
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That NTIA is seeking input about what to tell states that are considering using fiber alternatives (see 2408260048) shouldn't be construed as the agency changing its prioritization of fiber in its broadband equity, access and deployment (BEAD) program, Bolton said. NTIA's fiber-first, fixed wireless access second approach "is working," he said. But concerning high-cost BEAD locations, NTIA should let states disaggregate those locations to see if there are takers to get fiber to some, and if not, then FWA "and then on down the technology waterfall." NTIA "made the right call" in being fiber forward on BEAD. "We need to hold the line."
NTIA has never called LEO unreliable, said Wireless ISP Association CEO David Zumwalt. He said NTIA, through guidance on fiber alternatives, should get aligned with the all-technology approach of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that created BEAD and the all-technology approach most ISPs employ in their operations. Wireless ISPs "love fiber, too," Zumwalt said, adding that it's incorrect to say LEO has an unreliability issue.
In its draft alternatives guidance, NTIA mentions broadband technology that doesn't qualify as "Reliable Broadband Service," including unlicensed fixed wireless and LEO, yet still meets BEAD's minimum speed requirement of 100/20 Mbps. The guidance doesn't use the word "unreliable."
Brian Allenby, senior director-program operations, Maine Connectivity Authority, said the state's Working Internet ASAP program won't mean the unserved locations that qualify for state-subsidized Starlink terminals and installation (see 410170039) will get removed from the BEAD eligibility map. Starlink service is being considered as a near-term connectivity option. Even if those locations receive fiber bids through BEAD, it will be a couple of years before fiber-delivered service becomes reality, he said. Allenby said getting a fiber connection to unserved locations is Maine's priority; however, geographic and topographic challenges mean fiber alternatives will sometimes come into play.
LEO is already having a significant impact on rural, remote Alaska, said Martin Marshall, senior sales engineer, Eutelsat/OneWeb. Even if fiber is the best connectivity technology, deploying it in remote areas pushes against resilience issues and lack of redundancy. He said repairing a cut fiber line can take months in Alaska.
Bolton said it's vital that locations that are served near-term by Starlink not be taken off the map. Given the huge speeds available for fiber to the home subscribers and the coming applications that will demand greater and greater network capacity, he said, "we don't want to create a quantum divide, an artificial intelligence divide."