Latest news with #BEAD
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Trump halts US effort to attain 'digital equity'
By Carey L Biron WASHINGTON: The public library in Bethel, Alaska is the only place for miles around that provides free internet and computer use, and it was planning to lead the community into a new era of online access. The staff of four had been offering popular one-on-one online assistance and was on the cusp of adding more employees to reach more residents. But after President Donald Trump axed a key federal program in early May, those plans seem doomed. The library was part of a tranche of projects approved in January, and the funding would have allowed additional digital experts and the means to stay open evenings and weekends. "We were beyond excited," said Theresa Quiner, director of Bethel's Kuskokwim Consortium Library. Internet access is limited and very expensive, and there are very low rates of digital literacy, she said. "This is a very important and in-demand service, especially for elderly people and people with visual disabilities," Quiner said. In a May 8 social media post, Trump criticized the law that would have funded the expansion - the Digital Equity Act , an unprecedented $2.75 billion law passed under former President Joe Biden - as an unconstitutional "racist ... giveaway." "No more woke handouts based on race!" he wrote. The move comes amid a broad effort by the Trump administration to stamp out diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the government. The following day, notices went out saying funding was immediately terminated. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration did not respond to a request for comment. "If you take away the Digital Equity Act funding, far fewer people will be online," said Gigi Sohn , executive director of the American Association for Public Broadband, which represents community-owned networks. "You do your banking online, pay your speeding tickets online, go to school online. So if you don't have robust, affordable access, you're a second-class citizen." EXPANDING CONNECTIONS About 12% of U.S. residents people lived in households without an internet connection in 2023, according to the NTIA, a slight improvement from the previous year. Lower-income households and people of color are considerably more likely to lack connections, the agency said. The Digital Equity Act and the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to connect all Americans to high-quality broadband service became law in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The efforts were spurred in part by images of children doing schoolwork at home on computers, said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance , which represents more than 2,000 local groups helping people use the internet. "That was the 'aha moment,'" she said. "The number of organizations and local communities doing this work just exploded." BEAD focused on the physical infrastructure needed for connectivity, and the Digital Equity Act targeted softer barriers of digital skills and knowledge. "Every state now has a digital equity plan, which is amazing. Now that's all a waste - the implementation funds are what got stopped," Siefer said. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance had a grant of more than $25 million canceled, part of which had been aimed at planning how to do its type of work without federal funding. BEAD was paused in March for a review and another effort, the Affordable Connectivity Program that subsidized internet service for 23 million people, ended last year when lawmakers failed to extend it. VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES When Sara Nichols worked in county government a decade ago in western North Carolina, she and colleagues estimated as many as 70% of residents lacked internet connections. That finding spurred efforts to overcome technological and affordability constraints, and she has worked since 2018 to help connect more than 17,000 households as an economic development manager with the Land of Sky Regional Council. The Council is an umbrella group of local governments that see broadband as a key economic development driver. In September, the region was devastated by Hurricane Helene, which tore up the broadband infrastructure, and she handed out some 1,200 computers to stricken residents. "We had to work to get them back online," she said. "If you lost your house or job or business, there's a good chance you lost your computer, too." With resources depleted, the Council's partners were thankful to learn in January that they were approved for a $7.7 million Digital Equity Act grant to help veterans, rural households and seniors. Among the plans was retrofitting a bus into a "computer lab on wheels" to travel the rural area, she said. Now such plans are on hold, and Nichols warns neither local governments nor philanthropy can fill the gap. "We feel really vulnerable right now," she said. "Local organizations have lost a lot, and this would have been an opportunity to feel like we could get back on the right track."
The Verge
3 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
The plan for nationwide fiber internet might be upended for Starlink
For about 15 percent of US households as of 2023, the only internet options are crappy, especially in rural areas. But thanks to the US Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, which aims to connect everyone in the US to high-quality, mostly fiber-based internet, that's close to changing. Or at least, it was. The plan's lead architect, Evan Feinman, says that before he was forced out by the Trump administration in March, three US states were just one 'minor administrative step' away from connecting their first residents under BEAD. In fact, he says, they could have started the process already — if not for US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a recent Trump appointee. In March, Lutnick announced a 'rigorous review' of BEAD, which he claims is too 'woke' and filled with 'burdensome regulations.' Now the plan may change. Lutnick's changes to BEAD could hand a lot of the program's money over to private interests like Elon Musk's satellite internet provider, Starlink. And for every person whose home is served by a Starlink connection, their internet will likely be slower, less reliable, and more expensive than what BEAD might have gotten them with fiber. You can think of BEAD as a modern version of the nationwide US telephone network or electrification projects. It's been more than three years since the Biden administration established the $42.5 billion program, and so far, it hasn't actually connected anyone to the internet — a common criticism coming from the political right. But Feinman says that's by design. 'At every step of the game, states were screaming that we were going too fast,' he tells The Verge. 'When we made allocation, more than a dozen states sent us letters saying, 'Go slower, go slower, go slower.'' In fact, Feinman says, the first states would already have started construction if it wasn't for delays by the Trump administration, which has been encouraging states to redo finished phases of the program to make more space for satellite internet. That shift, Feinman said in April, could effectively mean 'millions of private capital is in the garbage.' Until now, BEAD has spent its time laying the groundwork to connect people. The states were given a year and a half to come up with proposals. According to the BEAD progress dashboard, 38 states have either begun or, in the case of West Virginia, finished picking service providers for the proposals. Nevada, Delaware, and Louisiana are just waiting for final approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration so they can sign contracts with companies, start laying fiber, and setting up infrastructure. 'More than a dozen states sent us letters saying, 'Go slower'' In his March statement about BEAD's review, Lutnick accused the Biden administration of 'woke mandates, favoritism towards certain technologies, and burdensome regulations.' The Commerce Department 'is revamping the BEAD program to take a tech-neutral approach that is rigorously driven by outcomes.' He didn't specify what he hoped the makeup of this 'tech-neutral' approach would look like. But Feinman told Financial Times in March that before he left, Lutnick had instructed BEAD's workers to give more priority to satellite connectivity and 'singled out Musk's provider, Starlink.' Musk, of course, has been a key player in the Trump administration as well as a vocal critic of BEAD. He's also been accused of trying to enrich himself using his unofficial, yet seemingly very powerful position within the US government. The Wall Street Journal reported Lutnick planned to overhaul the program in a way that could funnel as much as $20 billion, or close to half the program's overall funds, to Musk's Starlink. When I asked Feinman about this number, he said it's hard to know how much more money will go to satellite networks, but that the changes Lutnick is proposing 'will shift tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of locations away from getting a fiber connection and on to the satellite networks.' As for Lutnick's 'tech-neutral' comment, Brian Mitchell, director of Nevada broadband office OSIT, says, 'I think that's what we did from the start.' Given Nevada's vast geography and sparse population, he says, 'it was never going to be realistic for us to do 100 percent fiber like you might see elsewhere.' Nevada's final proposal called for fiber internet in 80 percent of its locations, with satellite and fixed wireless internet making up what's left. As an example of what's on the line, Feinman says West Virginia's proposal included 'a fiber connection for every single West Virginia home and business' with $150 million to spare and ahead of its deadline. That sounds pretty good for a state that says it ranks 50th out of 52 (all the states plus DC and Puerto Rico) in broadband connectivity. Now, plans like West Virginia's could shift many of the proposed fiber connections to satellite instead. Currently, the BEAD program requires states to prioritize fiber over any other connection method for a given location, unless building it out would cost more than a certain cap — a cap each state was allowed to set. But one of Lutnick's ideas is apparently to issue a single nationwide cap. According to Feinman, if Lutnick's 'one-size-fits-all cap' is low enough, satellite internet companies will always win out. In Nevada, for instance, that could see the ratio of fiber-to-satellite flipping from around 80 percent fiber to about 70 percent satellite internet, according to Feinman. Not long after Lutnick announced his BEAD review, Feinman emailed his team to say he was leaving and warned that Lutnick's actions could mean 'stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world's richest man even richer.' Feinman says that he had offered to continue running BEAD, but that the administration declined to renew his tenure. Although Lutnick hasn't detailed specific plans for BEAD, he's already at work changing the program. Near the end of March, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced he'd met with Lutnick and got his state a 90-day extension that Feinman says West Virginia will use to reopen service provider bidding, endangering the state's pending fiber agreements. The Commerce Department has since issued a blanket invitation to all states to seek such extensions. That likely means at least some states will turn to slower, pricier internet for their citizens. There are states where Starlink makes sense. Mitchell says that his state 'knew that satellite was going to play a big part in connecting Nevadans, and that's the result that we delivered.' Satellite connections make up 10 percent of the state's final proposal. That's a 'great result for Nevadans,' he says, adding that providers are prepared to sign contracts and start building out connections 'as soon as the paperwork comes in from NIST,' or the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The first Nevadans could be connected as soon as this summer, according to Mitchell. (Neither NIST nor the NTIA responded when The Verge asked about the status of those approvals.) Continued delays could be costly. Garry Gomes, CEO of Sky Fiber in Nevada, urged Lutnick earlier this month to push Nevada's BEAD program forward in a letter to the NTIA forwarded to The Verge by OSIT. He said Sky Fiber — Nevada's biggest awardee under BEAD — has 'already invested over $360,000 in equipment, engineering, and staffing' and that its teams are ready to 'immediately' start construction on BEAD deployment. 'Yet the project remains stalled,' Gomes wrote. 'Delays not only risk higher costs and lost labor but also erode public confidence in what is arguably the most ambitious and promising broadband investment in our nation's history.' Would more Starlink involvement be such a bad thing? Sure, it doesn't come close to touching fiber, but a service only has to offer over 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up, with no less than 100 milliseconds of latency, to qualify as 'reliable broadband internet' under BEAD. Feinman says Starlink, while a 'really really good technology,' offers service that's 'barely nosing over' that requirement. This was something that Ookla echoed in December with its median findings from Starlink users in Maine, showing that median users saw 116.77Mbps down and 18.17Mbps up. But, hey, a D minus is still a passing grade, right? But while there's room in BEAD for satellite internet, it's not a replacement for hard-wired, ground-based connections. Even Musk himself has said that, having called satellite a 'nice complement' to tech like fiber and 5G back in 2021. Performance-wise, Starlink pales in comparison to fiber, which increasingly offers as much as 5 gigabits per second, down and up. That's more than 43 times faster than Ookla's reported median speed for Starlink. It's 20 times faster than 249Mbps, the best-case-scenario throughput the company shows for my midwestern address. And it's hardly worth comparing the upload speeds between the two options. Starlink service isn't just undeniably slower than fiber; it tends to be more expensive, too. Its fixed service is $80–$120 per month and comes with pricey upfront equipment fees. (Starlink's site advertises $30–$50 monthly, but when I tried to sign up for service while reporting this out, the price jumped to $120 a month with a $349 equipment fee, for a 'total due today' of $376.57.) In some areas, Starlink's website says its equipment is free if you sign a 12-month contract. Meanwhile, AT&T offers a gigabit fiber plan in my city of Milwaukee for $80 per month, with a $150 equipment fee. 'Nobody is campaigning on slower, more expensive internet for their constituents' Even if all things were equal, Feinman says the company can't scale to the needs of the program, as it 'doesn't have the capacity to serve that many locations.' What's more, it's costly to maintain Starlink's service, which requires rocket launches into space to replace dying or outmoded satellites. Subterranean fiber, on the other hand, can last decades before needing to be replaced. Before the Trump administration started futzing with BEAD, Feinman says the program enjoyed a great deal of bipartisan support. 'This is not what anybody outside of a very small circle of Trump administration folks wanted the program to become,' he says. 'This is not what Senate Republicans wanted it to become. It's not what any member of the Democratic coalition on Capitol Hill wanted. It's not what Republican governors wanted. It's not what the industry wanted.' Mitchell echoes that, saying that both Republicans and Democrats in his state have 'been very supportive' and adding that 'nobody is campaigning on slower, more expensive internet for their constituents.' He also says he doesn't think that has changed as the administration changed hands. 'All of our local officials and local governments are excited for who was awarded,' Mitchell says, 'and are ready to start working with them to issue the necessary permits so they can move forward with deployment.' Instead, they're waiting for Lutnick's review. A bipartisan group of 115 state legislators from 28 states signed a letter to Lutnick in April, stating that while they welcome some changes to BEAD, they urge him to make them optional. 'At this late stage, major changes would undermine our work and delay deployment by years,' they wrote. As for what's next, Feinman says he's working hard to make noise about what's being done with the program in an effort to preserve its core mission of connecting everyone to high-speed broadband internet. His departure letter in March said he thought the BEAD program would still mostly work even without so-called 'woke' requirements, which include things like fair and safe labor practices as well as outreach to historically underrepresented and marginalized groups. He also said 'shovels could already be in the ground … in half the country by summer' without Lutnick's proposed changes and that if the administration let the program move forward, 'it would be a huge political win for the Trump team.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sterlite Technologies Ltd (BOM:532374) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Navigating Market ...
Release Date: May 16, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Sterlite Technologies Ltd (BOM:532374) has maintained a stable 8% market share in the global optical fiber cable market outside China. The company has achieved a significant year-on-year expansion in optical connectivity attached rates, increasing from 13% to 22%. Sterlite Technologies Ltd (BOM:532374) is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for optical fibers, driven by 5G, FTTX, and data centers. The company has a strong innovation engine with 740 patents and 76 new filings in the year, focusing on next-gen capabilities like hollow core fiber and AI-driven fiber sensing. Sterlite Technologies Ltd (BOM:532374) is committed to sustainability, aiming for net zero by 2030 and has already installed 4,500 kilowatts of solar capacity. The company faces challenges from tariffs imposed by the US and Europe, which could impact profitability. Sterlite Technologies Ltd (BOM:532374) has seen a decline in global market share from 11% to 8%, indicating competitive pressures. The BEAD program in the US, which could drive demand, faces potential delays and uncertainties regarding its rollout. The company has a high net debt of 1,350 crore, with a debt to equity ratio of 0.68 times, which it aims to reduce. Shareholder returns have been a concern, with equity returns for minority shareholders being described as 'pathetic' by an investor. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Signs with BOM:532374. Q: How will the recent US tariff on optical fiber impact Sterlite Technologies? A: Ankit Agarwal, Managing Director, explained that while the tariff poses challenges, Sterlite is appealing the decision with the European Commission. The company is focusing on cost structures in India, Italy, and the US to remain competitive. They are optimistic about passing some costs to customers as demand in North America improves. Additionally, US customers are showing interest in sourcing from Sterlite's US and Indian facilities. Q: What is the timeline for Sterlite Technologies to regain its lost market share? A: Ankit Agarwal stated that the company is well-positioned with its capacities and product portfolio. As demand returns, they aim to increase utilization from 50% to 70%, which should improve EBITDA margins from 14% to 20%. The goal is to be among the top three global players in the optical business within 3 to 5 years. Q: How will changes in the US BEAD program affect Sterlite Technologies? A: Ankit Agarwal noted that while there are ongoing discussions about the program's specifics, Sterlite expects the BEAD program to progress, potentially starting in Q4 this year or Q1 next year. The company is focusing on current and new customers to drive growth and anticipates that simplified permitting processes in the US could accelerate infrastructure build-outs. Q: What is Sterlite Technologies' strategy for the data center market? A: Ankit Agarwal highlighted that Sterlite is developing an end-to-end solution for passive connectivity in data centers. They have a strong portfolio for inter-data center connectivity and are working on technologies for within data centers. The company aims to derive 25% of its revenue from the data center and enterprise segments in the coming quarters. Q: How does Sterlite Technologies plan to address shareholder concerns about equity returns? A: Ajayjanjari, CFO, emphasized that Sterlite is focused on improving margins and generating cash to enhance shareholder value. The company is targeting a net debt to EBITDA ratio below 2 and is committed to leveraging its optical business and STL Digital to drive growth and profitability. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nebraska worries raised about funding for rural broadband expansion
Wider rural broadband deployment remains a long-term goal in Nebraska. (Getty Images) LINCOLN — Nerves are fraying among those seeking to expand broadband service across Nebraska due to funding uncertainty caused by recent actions by the Trump Administration and the Legislature. However, a state official said he isn't worried that the largest program, the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, enacted by the Biden Administration to bring high-speed 'internet for all,' would be impacted. Patrick Haggerty, director of the Nebraska Broadband Office, said Wednesday that his office continues to take applications for the first-round of BEAD grants while it awaits 'new guidance' on the distribution of those funds. Despite the cancellation Friday of a $1.25 billion 'digital equity' training program by the Trump Administration, Haggerty said he has seen 'no indication' that the $405 million in BEAD deployment funds sent to Nebraska is going away. 'Getting universal broadband across Nebraska is not at risk in any way,' he told the Examiner. On Friday, states were informed that the $1.25 billion Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program was being cancelled after President Trump labeled the program 'racist and illegal' and unconstitutional. 'No more woke handouts based on race!' Trump posted on his Truth Social account. States were told that the program used 'impermissible and unconstitutional racial preferences,' according to the news site Broadband Breakfast, which reported that at least one state, Vermont, was weighing whether to legally challenge the cancellation. In a statement last week, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., called it 'absolutely insane' that Trump had cancelled a program because it included the word 'equity.' She said she had drafted the equity program to 'close the digital divide' by helping seniors access the internet and providing laptops for 'middle schoolers in rural districts.' The Trump edict eliminates $6.5 million in grants for Nebraska that were intended for nonprofit groups to train and educate people on how to better utilize high-speed internet services and even how to repair computers. The program targeted eight 'covered populations,' including veterans, the elderly, those living in rural areas and members of racial or ethnic minorities. But additional worries have been spawned by the Nebraska Legislature's efforts to close a state budget shortfall. On Tuesday, the Nebraska Public Service Commission ordered that the $20 million-a-year Nebraska Broadband Bridge Act be 'held in abeyance' due to the expectation that the funds, which provide incentives for companies to expand high-speed internet into remote areas, will be diverted by the Legislature to help close the state budget gap. However, BEAD remains the bigger worry among some involved in broadband deployment, that it might be cut back or eliminated as part of Trump Administration efforts to reduce 'fraud, waste and abuse.' There's been speculation online and by the Wall Street Journal that the BEAD program could undergo dramatic changes by shifting up to $20 billion of the grant funds to the StarLink satellite internet service tied to the world's richest man, Elon Musk. Haggerty, the Nebraska broadband czar, said despite the funding uncertainty, 'we're not going to let that slow us down.' The deadline for the first round of grants is Friday. He declined to speculate on when the first grants would be distributed. He added that the state's BEAD funding should be enough to provide broadband to the state's unserved and underserved areas despite the suspension of the Broadband Bridge program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hinds County to host meetings on bridging digital divide
HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – Hinds County residents are encouraged to attend community meetings about a 'growing communications emergency' that's affecting rural parts of the county. According to Hinds County leaders, the combination of accelerating copper wire theft, the phase-out of traditional landline services, and inadequate broadband infrastructure has left many residents without any reliable means of communication. Mississippi College, Christ Covenant partnership offers college-level math course 'These are not future concerns—we are already seeing people cut off from the outside world,' said Felicia Tripp, Hinds County Broadband Coordinator. 'We must act now to ensure no one in Hinds County is left behind.' (All meetings begin at 6:00 p.m.) Raymond – Monday, May 19, at Bellmont Missionary Baptist Church Utica – Tuesday, May 20, at the Utica Community Center Terry – Thursday, May 22, at the Town of Terry Community Center Edwards – Thursday, May 29, at Ratliff Missionary Baptist Church Officials said the meetings will serve as both public forums and action-planning sessions to address the digital divide and determine how programs like BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) and BEAM (Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi) can be leveraged more effectively to serve Hinds County communities. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
