Telecom Weekly Roundup: Spectrum Crackdown & BEAD Shake‐Up Roil U.S. Telecom

🏆 Top Stories

• FCC cracks down on EchoStar’s 2 GHz spectrum. The Commission opened Docket 25‑173 to determine whether EchoStar is meeting build‑out milestones, warning that warehoused airwaves could be reassigned to newer satellite entrants. Source: WSJ

• BEAD eligibility sliced in half. A New York Law School study finds 57 % of addresses first flagged as un‑ or underserved vanished from the updated FCC broadband map, upending state funding blueprints. Source: StateScoop 

• Ripple Fiber combines with HyperFiber. The all‑stock deal—announced May 12—unites two regional fiber builders with 100 k passings across eight states ahead of the BEAD sub‑grant race. Source: Telecom Ramblings 

• Starlink waives hardware fees for 12‑month sign‑ups. SpaceX now offers a $0 kit with a one‑year service commitment, removing a key adoption hurdle for rural customers. Source: Starlink.com

📅 Industry Events

• J.P. Morgan Global TMT Conference (Boston, May 13‑15). Executives from AT&T, Verizon, American Tower and Crown Castle brief investors on fiber economics, FWA churn and tower‑lease pricing. Source: JPMorgan.com 

• AT&T Southwest workers ratify a new four‑year CWA contract (May 8). The deal delivers a 5 % immediate raise, reduced healthcare costs and a $1,000 ratification bonus for 8,000 employees. Source: CWA‑Union 

📈 Market Trends

• Broadband price bifurcation widens. Tarifica’s May 12 study of 21 U.S. ISPs shows plans under 1 Gbps fell 15 % YoY, while gigabit‑plus tiers still command 60 % price premiums, reflecting intense competition at lower speeds. Source: PRWeb 

• Fixed‑wireless momentum eases. Verizon added 308 k FWA lines in Q1 2025—down 9 % YoY—signaling that early‑stage growth may be tapering as the addressable rural market saturates. Source: Verizon.com

See you next week for another quick‑scan briefing on everything that matters in US telecom.