Starlink’s Rise: Could It Disrupt the…

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        <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _17nnmdy6 _17nnmdy5 _1xwtict1">As of 2023, approximately 15 percent of households in the US struggle with subpar internet options, particularly in rural regions. Fortunately, the US Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program is attempting to transform this situation by providing high-quality, primarily fiber-based internet access to everyone in the country. Or at least, this was the plan.</p>
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        <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">Evan Feinman, the program's chief architect, notes that prior to his exit in March due to the Trump administration's intervention, three states were just a "minor administrative step" away from providing internet access to their initial users under BEAD. He asserts they could have already commenced the process if not for the actions of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a recent Trump appointee, who in March declared a "rigorous review" of BEAD, labeling it excessively "woke" and laden with "burdensome regulations." This review threatens to alter the original plan.</p>
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        <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">Lutnick's proposed revisions to BEAD could redirect a significant portion of the program's funding to private entities, including Elon Musk's satellite internet service, Starlink. Ironically, any individual reliant on a Starlink connection could experience slower, less dependable, and costlier internet than what BEAD could have provided through fiber.</p>
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        <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">BEAD can be likened to modern telecommunications or electrification efforts. Established over three years ago with a $42.5 billion budget by the Biden administration, there has yet to be a single connection made — a frequent critique from the political right. However, Feinman argues that this slow pace was intentional.</p>
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        <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">“Throughout the process, states continually urged us to slow down,” he tells <em>The Verge</em>. “During our allocation phase, more than a dozen states sent us letters requesting, ‘Slow down, slow down, slow down.’” He claims that the initial states would have started construction already if not for delays instigated by the Trump administration, which encouraged states to revisit completed phases to make room for satellite internet. Feinman stated in April that this shift could potentially result in “millions of private capital wasted.”</p>
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        <p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1ymtmqpi _17nnmdy1 _17nnmdy0 _1xwtict1">To date, BEAD has predominantly focused on laying the groundwork for future connections. States have been allocated a year and a half to develop proposals. According to the BEAD progress dashboard, 38 states have initiated or, as in the case of West Virginia, completed the selection of service providers for their proposals. Nevada, Delaware, and Louisiana are merely awaiting final approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to sign contracts, commence fiber installation