BEAD

Speed Tests Could Help Improve Broadband Oversight, Ookla Executive Says

Rural Starlink users often report higher speeds than customers in congested urban areas

Naomi Jindra

Oct 8, 2025 — 2 min read

From left: Bryan Darr, vice president of government affairs at Ookla, and Gary Bolton, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2025 — As billions in federal broadband funding move toward deployment, one company’s familiar tool could become key in verifying how well those investments pay off.

Bryan Darr, vice president of government affairs at Ookla, said the company’s Speedtest data offers valuable, real-time insights into broadband performance at the local level — information that could help state and federal officials track progress under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program.

Darr joined Gary Bolton, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association, on this week’s Fiber for Breakfast webcast and discussed how crowd-sourced speed measurements can help governments monitor network quality and ensure accountability as billions in broadband infrastructure funding roll out nationwide.

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BEAD Fiber FBA Ookla Satellite Starlink Gary Bolton Bryan Darr

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