Bringing Ookla Speed Test Data to Bear on BEAD Program

Following Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s recent restructuring notice on the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, Ookla Vice President of Government Affairs Bryan Darr joined Broadband Breakfast CEO Drew Clark for a timely discussion about Ookla’s efforts to help state broadband officers navigate new BEAD rules. 

Darr noted that the new 90-day notice attracted new entrants to the BEAD program and that these providers wanted their applications to be considered.

To help state officials assess new entrants within a short time span, Ookla brings historical performance data to the table. That allows state broadband officials to evaluate the readiness of providers to serve existing customers, along with new areas that have not yet been awarded. 

Ookla collects data from hundreds of millions of speed tests across the U.S. every year, Darr said.

That information collected represents more data than states had ever seen so far during their BEAD challenge processes.

To learn more about the state-specific speed test insights, fill out the form below: