Trump BEAD Program Steers $1 Billion to SpaceX, Amazon Leo as Fiber Gives Way to Satellite
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Jun 23
Trump BEAD Program Steers $1 Billion to SpaceX, Amazon Leo as Fiber Gives Way to Satellite
1 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Jun 23
Summary
$1.05 billion in BEAD awards has gone to Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Amazon Leo, even as the revamped program still is not broadly connecting underserved households.
The shift came after the Trump administration rewrote BEAD to favor faster satellite options over fiber, with SpaceX receiving $738.8 million and Amazon Leo $311 million.
The Verge reported some areas once slated for fiber were made ineligible for it, and SpaceX was paid for service in regions where Starlink was already available rather than expanding coverage.
Amazon Leo’s award is especially striking because the company has no operational commercial satellite constellation and no active internet customers yet.
Delays persist despite the overhaul: 33 of 56 states and territories that sought 2025 funding still had not been told whether they would receive grants.