This edition includes: Spectrum Auction to fund Rip and Replace, Broadband around the globe, Editorial on BEAD spending in 2025, BEAD Final Proposal approvals, Carr now in charge of FCC, FCC ends DEI directives, Hawaii full fiber access by 2026?, BEAD spending safe in Trump executive order, ATT and NY low-cost service law, Telecom policy focus and questions in Trump’s first days.

It also reviews Funding Awards and Network Expansions, including Allo $65M Flagstaff AZ, Lyte Fiber $11M+ Kingsville TX, $18M grants for Tribal Lands, Visionary Broadband acquires Mountain Broadband in CO, $32M last mile service grants CA, 123NET $11M investment in MI, Conexon-Georgia Co-Op new fiber network, Zayo to add 5,000 miles long haul fiber and TX BOOT Round 1 and 2 Funding.

1. Spectrum auction to fund “rip and replace” program. The FCC is pushing ahead with plans for a new spectrum auction to help pay for the removal and replacement of Chinese telecom equipment from U.S. networks. The Rip and Replace program, established in 2019, is an initiative by the FCC designed to help secure the U.S. telco infrastructure by removing and replacing high-risk network equipment made by Chinese companies, particularly Huawei and ZTE. The project was initially allocated $1.9 billion in public funding to support smaller operators to replace their equipment; however, demand for the funds far outstripped the budget. Following years of pressure from the FCC, late last month the U.S. Senate approved a bill allocating the required funding to the rip and replace initiative. The bill allows the FCC to borrow the required funding from the Treasury on the proviso that the funds are repaid with profits from upcoming spectrum auctions. Read more.

2. The state of broadband around the globe: what you need to know. Most know the U.S. is trying to close its digital divide with the $42.5 billion BEAD program. But what about the rest of the world? Plenty of other countries have their own government-led broadband efforts, some of which were established years before BEAD surfaced. Fierce Networks looked into how some of these countries are implementing broadband. Read more.

3. BEAD spending in 2025. Will BEAD spending and construction flow in 2025? This editorial provides points to consider. Read more.

4. More states get NTIA BEAD Final Proposal Approval. Read more.

- Delaware’s final proposal details how it plans to use the more than $107 million in allocated BEAD funding to connect 5,721 homes and businesses. The approval of Delaware’s final proposal for BEAD follows the approval of Louisiana’s final proposal.   

- Louisiana was allotted $1.355 billion in BEAD funding but will use some of it for purposes other than deployments like education and workforce development.

- Nevada’s final proposal details how it plans to use the more than $416 million in allocated BEAD funding to connect 43,715 homes and businesses.

- Michigan ($1.5B) and Maine ($272M), are now accepting applications for BEAD funding.

- Colorado plans to begin accepting applications for the state’s second round of BEAD funding on January 27.              

5. Brendan Carr is now officially in charge at the FCC. Deregulation is expected on the telecom front, but Carr must also contend with state efforts to regulate broadband. Carr and telecom trade groups were pleased to hear that the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals effectively killed the FCC’s efforts to restore net neutrality and classify broadband providers as Title II carriers. However, the downside to not being classified as Title II carriers is that the FCC now has very little regulatory authority over broadband providers. So, states are free to regulate broadband providers how they see fit, and the FCC doesn’t appear to have any authority to preempt states. Read more.

6. The newly named chair of the FCC, Brendan Carr, has taken action to end the commission’s “promotion of DEI.” Brendan Carr, the chairman of the FCC, has taken action to end the FCC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) directives following an executive order issued by President Donald Trump. Read more.

7. Hawaiian Telcom pledges full fiber access by end of 2026. Hawaiian Telcom is collaborating with federal, state, and county leaders on a $1.7 billion initiative to position Hawaii as the first fully fiber-enabled state in the U.S. by 2026. Read more.

8. BEAD spending safe from energy executive order, White House Says (1/22/2025). The White House issued a memo clarifying that a call to pause Infrastructure Act funding applied only to energy projects. The Trump administration clarified that an executive order directing agencies to pause Inflation Reduction and Infrastructure Act funding applies only to certain energy projects, dispelling some fears of broadband deployment efforts being caught in a political crossfire. Read more.

9. ISPs react to $15 rates in New York. AT&T announced that it will withdraw its 5G home Internet product in New York rather than comply with the law that requires it to offer broadband rates as low as $15.  It’s hard to think that New York regulators won’t quickly react to AT&T walking away from existing FWA customers. This decision might ultimately cost the company more in fines than what it would lose from customer discounts. Read more.

10. Telecom policy objectives come into focus in Trump’s first days. A spate of recent changes has brought several telecom policy objectives of Donald Trump’s administration into focus, but questions remain. Read more.

FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS

1. Construction on a $65 million fiber network in Flagstaff, Arizona is due to begin this March, according to ALLO Fiber. The Nebraska-based ISP announced the news in December, along with news of their planned fiber build in Boulder, Colorado. Read more.

2. Lyte Fiber to launch fiber network in Kingsville, Texas. Lyte Fiber announced a new investment in Kingsville, Texas, introducing its fiber network to homes and businesses. Lyte, a Texas-based and founded company, is investing more than $11 million into the network buildout. Lyte will connect nearly 7,500 locations, with plans for further market expansion. Lyte is set to install over 100 miles of fiber optic cable across Kingsville. Read more.

3. NTIA announces almost $18M in broadband grants for Tribal Lands. The NTIA announced it has awarded nearly $18 million to seven Tribal entities to expand high-speed Internet access and adoption. The funding from the nearly $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All Initiative. Read more.

4. Mississippi Power Association undertakes fiber network expansion. The fiber subsidiary of the Alcorn County Electric Power Association has expanded their network in New Albany, MS. ACE Fiber, the Alcorn County Electric Power Association’s subsidiary, claims the development will enhance the user experience for residents. Read more.

5. Visionary Broadband acquires Mountain Broadband in CO. Mountain Broadband will rebrand as Visionary Broadband, the acquired company’s “team” will be retained, and the new owners will begin the rollout of gigabit services in the Mountain Broadband footprint and move into surrounding areas in the coming months. Read more.

6. California PUC announces more than $32M in broadband grants. $25 million of the funding will go to Federal Funding Account grants to provide last-mile services in Kings County and benefit approximately 5,869 residents. Another $3 million is for a project in Ventura County. It will benefit 2,377 residents.  The organizations benefiting from the grants are the California Emerging Technology Fund, the Economic Opportunities Commission, International Rescue Committee – Oakland, the Rural Prosperity Center, Swords to Plowshares, and United Way of Central Eastern California. Read more.

7. Investment of $11 million backs long-haul fiber route in Michigan. 123NET, a Michigan connectivity provider has announced plans to build a redundant, long-haul fiber route from Grand Rapids to Lansing. In addition to other projects, 123NET is also responsible for a fiber network from downtown Kalamazoo and the launching of the Grand Rapids Internet Exchange. Read more.

8. Conexon adds 8,400 Georgia cooperative customers to its footprint. The now-completed network has over 1,600 miles of fiber and connects all 8,400 members of Ocilla-based Irwin EMC. The cooperative’s members stretch across eight counties. Read more.

9. Zayo announces construction of 5,000+ fiber miles to help meet AI workload demands. To ensure customers can scale alongside AI demand, Zayo plans to build five new long-haul routes, in addition to overbuilds of seven key existing routes, over the next five years. Read more.

10. Texas broadband grants aim to give the digital divide the BOOT. The Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT II) Program has awarded $701.9 million in grants to help provide broadband to unserved and underserved locations in the state. More than $424.6 million of the $701.9 million Texas broadband grants have been finalized. This covers 54,000 locations in Bastrop, Carson, Coleman, Edwards, Falls, Irion, Karnes, Liberty, Morris, Newton, Reagan, Throckmorton, and Trinity counties. The Texas Broadband Development Office says it is finalizing the other nine counties which, combined, will serve almost 39,000 unserved locations. Read more.