Some of Ohio’s Satellite BEAD Locations Face Tree Canopy Cover, Analyst Says

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2026 – Some Ohio locations awarded to satellite ISPs as part of a $42.45 billion grant program are obstructed by tree cover, a recent analysis found.

Tom Reid, head of Reid Consulting, analyzed about 30,000 of the locations in Ohio that are set to receive service from SpaceX through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, and found as many as 70 percent were covered by tree canopy that would prevent the minimum 110-degree field of view the company’s dishes require.

Depending on the coverage — satellite imagery showed 5 percent of the analyzed locations were completely covered by trees — those homes and businesses could require foliage to be cleared for the service to work properly, Reid said. He said many would at least benefit from a professional installation to find a suitable angle, as setting up dishes on the highest point of a house can be difficult.