reports
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Update for the Lone Star State
We have updated our BEAD analysis to include the proposal from Texas which was allocated the largest amount of BEAD funding. We now include BEAD proposals from 52 states & territories in our below analysis. We have also updated the analysis for states that have revised their proposals.
- David Barden
- David Barden
3Q25 Broadband Estimate Deep Dive
If you are one of those eager contrarians looking for the quarter where a combination of discount valuations and even a modest turnaround in cable KPI trends could boost the stocks, this probably ain’t it. The cable industry continues to lose subscribers at an elevated pace with Comcast doing worse than Charter thanks to the 1-2 punch of fiber and FWA.
- Blair Levin
Will Chinese Investment in SpaceX affect the FCC 2GHz review?
New reports indicate that SpaceX has previously undisclosed investments by Chinese investors. This has raised questions about whether those investments could affect the pending application by SpaceX to purchase the AWS4/2GHz band from SATS. In this note, we provide a legal and historic background for how investors should think about that question.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Update for 3 More States
In this latest update, we now include BEAD proposals from 51 states & territories. We have updated our analysis for Alaska, Florida and Utah. Comcast, Brightspeed and AT&T remain at the top of the list among wireline operators. Fiber remains the dominant technology both in terms of locations as well as funding.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Impact of Price caps on funding
Based on a leaked internal NTIA memo related to BEAD, it seems like the final proposals by the states may not be final and the NTIA may force them to make changes to their plans. We have analyzed all the proposals so far and estimate that Comcast, AT&T and Frontier may be most impacted by these rules. However, the overall impact isn’t material.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Another Major Update
We are almost in the home stretch of the BEAD proposal process. In this latest update, we now include BEAD proposals from 48 states & territories. We also incorporate the revisions in some state proposals. Comcast and Brightspeed are at the top of the list among wireline operators. Fiber’s share of locations remained unchanged from our last update. Satellite and FWA together account for close to a third of the locations awarded.
- Philip Burnett
TMUS Quick Take: Srini replacing Mike as CEO
T-Mobile announced that Srini Gopalan will replace Mike Sievert as CEO of T-Mobile on November 1st. Mike will remain as Vice Chairman of the company, a new role that they say will have Mike continue as an operator at the company (rather than purely a figurehead). Srini's new contract runs through November 2030, while Mike's renews annually. The company has also amended the contracts of the existing CFO and President of Marketing, which seems meant to signal that Srini won't replace the entire C-...
- Philip Burnett
EchoStar in Paris: Quick thoughts
Hamid and Charlie just wrapped in Paris. In this brief note we cover key topics, including the company’s thoughts on selling its spectrum, its plans for future uses of the spectrum proceeds, and its thinking on taxes and other liabilities. We also address the timing of future spectrum sales and the outlook for Boost, Hughes and DBS. Finally, we share insights on SpaceX’s new S-Band direct-to-device service.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Update for 7 more proposals
In this latest update, we now include BEAD proposals from 39 states & territories. Comcast and AT&T remain at the top of the list among wireline operators. Fiber’s share of locations has stabilized with small share shifts in either direction with each update (fiber’s share increased slightly after this update). Satellite and FWA together account for close to a third of the locations awarded.
- Blair Levin
Implications of Carr’s SATS/SpaceX Competition Comments
FCC Chairman Carr gave a speech this week in which he said that the SATS/SpaceX deal “is a potential gamechanger for the American consumer—it promises to light up new spectrum and bring new sources of competition to the wireless and connectivity market.” In this note we review the evidence on whether he is likely to be proven correct but also what the implications of his comments are for wireless policy in the near-term.
- Blair Levin
- Philip Burnett
SpaceX Buys AWS-4 and PCS H-Block from EchoStar
EchoStar announced that it is selling its AWS-4 and PCS H-Block spectrum to SpaceX for a total of $19BN, including $8.5BN of cash, $8.5BN of stock in SpaceX, and $2BN of interest payments payable to EchoStar. According to SpaceX, the purchase agreement also covers EchoStar’s global MSS licenses.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Funding wins and investments by operator
In this note on BEAD, we summarize the funding wins so far for each operator along with the matching investment they are expected to make based on the cost estimates of each state. Based on the state estimates, they are contributing 63% of the estimated build costs and the operators are expected to invest 37% of the cost. The share of investments needed varies depending on the operator, and in some cases may be lower than estimated.
- Blair Levin
SATS and SpaceX: Quick Policy Perspective
This morning SATS announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with SpaceX to sell the company's AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses for approximately $17 billion for SpaceX to fund an aggregate of approximately $2 billion of cash interest payments payable on EchoStar debt through November of 2027. Further, SpaceX and EchoStar will enter into an agreement to enable EchoStar's Boost Mobile subscribers to access Starlink’s Direct to Cell service. In this note, we quickly analyze the ...
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: NTIA Deadline is here
Today is the deadline for all states to submit their final proposals. We now include proposals from 32 states in this latest update on BEAD. Fiber’s share of locations has nearly stabilized with small share shifts in either direction with each update (fiber’s share declined slightly after this update). Satellite and FWA together account for a third of the locations awarded.
- Philip Burnett
EchoStar Spectrum Sales: Implications for Industry FWA Capacity
In the wake of EchoStar selling spectrum to AT&T, we have updated our FWA capacity model on the assumption that all of the company’s spectrum eventually ends up with the big three carriers. We now expect the industry to have capacity for almost 22MM residential FWA subscribers, up from 19.5MM before.
- Blair Levin
SATS Spectrum Deals Raise Hopes for DBS Deal
With the announcement of SATS’ deal with T and prospects for further spectrum sales, investors are once again hopeful that the long-anticipated merger of the DBS companies can happen. In this note, we update our thoughts on the government review of that deal if it happens.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: Half-time report
Our latest BEAD update includes proposals from 25 states. Fiber remains the preferred technology with its share improving slightly from our last update. In this note, we analyze the results, compare them with estimates from our Broadband Insights database, and its implications for broadband companies. We also update our summary for BEAD proposals so far.
- Vikash Harlalka
BEAD: More state proposals; Fiber share nearly stable
24 states have now reported their BEAD proposals. Fiber remains the preferred technology, and their share of locations slipped only slightly in this latest round of updates. In this note, we analyze the results, compare them with estimates from our Broadband Insights database, and its implications for broadband companies. We also update our summary for BEAD proposals so far.
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