Broadband Breakfast on July 30, 2025 - States and the Next BEAD Round

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States are busy re-working their BEAD grants in accordance with the new guidance from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. A recent New York Law School study finds that the number of BEAD-eligible locations has dropped by as much as 65% since June 2023. While others have come to different conclusions, it seems certain that the final amount to be spent on last-mile grants under BEAD will shift downward from the original $42.5 billion. As one example, Connecticut has only 885 serviceable locations, but is still slated to receive more than $144 million in BEAD funds. Additionally, another study by the Technology Policy Institute finds that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s June 6 rules update gave states the incentive to spend their allocation because Commerce's NTIA may not allow states to use leftover deployment funds on digital connectivity programs. How are state broadband offices navigating the uncertainty?

States Face LEO Dilemma as BEAD Program Revamps

Industry experts warn low-Earth orbit providers may not meet BEAD’s federal broadband requirements.

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Panelists

• Scott Wallsten, President and Senior Fellow, Technology Policy Institute
• Glenn Fishbine, Partner, Breaking Point Solutions
• Randolph Luening, Founder, BroadbandToolkit
• Michael Santorelli, Director of Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute, New York Law School
• Alex Karras, Senior Fellow, the Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute, New York Law School
• Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

Scott Wallsten is president and senior fellow at the Technology Policy Institute (TPI) and a senior policy scholar at the Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy. His research focuses on telecommunications, regulation, competition, and technology policy. He holds a PhD in economics from Stanford University.

Glenn Fishbine is a partner at Breaking Point Solutions, LLC.  Glenn is the co-creator of the OptiExpress® platform and is the technical lead in the hundreds of broadband feasibility studies performed nationwide and proficient in multiple technologies including over 40 years of software engineering and applied mathematics.

J. Randolph Luening is the founder of BroadbandToolkit.com, a leading provider of broadband infrastructure planning software and services.  BroadbandToolkit.com helps private equity investors, ISPs, and government officials make informed infrastructure investment decisions.  Mr. Luening frequently speaks and writes on topics of broadband policy and broadband economics.

As Director of the ACLP, Michael Santorelli oversees the program’s examination of the legal, regulatory, and public policy issues impacting the deployment and adoption of broadband and other advanced communications technologies at the local, state, and federal levels. He is regularly sought out by policymakers for objective input on broadband planning issues and has served on the New York State Broadband Task Force, the FCC’s Overcoming State and Local Barriers to Broadband Deployment Working Group, and the FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee. Immediately prior to joining the ACLP, Michael was the lead staff member for the New York City Council’s Committee on Technology.

Alex Karras is a Senior Fellow at the Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute (ACLP) at New York Law School. The ACLP studies the array of local, state, and federal legal, regulatory, and public policy issues impacting broadband connectivity. Alex is the ACLP’s data analytics expert, helping to ensure that the program’s analyses are grounded in data, intuitive, and relevant to policy discussions.

Breakfast Media LLC CEO Drew Clark has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing tool to collect and verify broadband data left unpublished by the Federal Communications Commission. As CEO and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media community advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative.