It’s Thanksgiving time again, and time to list those things for which I am thankful. As I’ve been talking to folks lately, there is a lot of angst in the industry as things are rapidly changing. But I think there are still plenty of things to be thankful for.

Broadband Networks Being Built. You couldn’t drive in rural areas this past year without seeing signs of fiber construction. A lot of neighborhoods and homes got fast broadband for the first time in 2025. We became laser-focused over the last year on BEAD and forgot that there is continuing construction funded by programs like RDOF, CAF II, ReConnect, Middle-Mile, Tribal, and State grants funded by ARPA and the Capital Project Fund. By my estimates, over $11 billion in grant and subsidy funding was scheduled to be spent on broadband networks in 2025, following $10 billion in 2024.

Digital Inclusion Marches Forward. The administration put a big dent in the digital inclusion efforts around the country by cancelling the grants from the Digital Equity Act. However, I look around and see that thousands of people have gotten on board the digital inclusion bandwagon, and there is already a lot of digital inclusion work being done that didn’t wait for federal grants. I think we’ll look up in a year and see that we’ve created a digital inclusion ecosystem that will find sustainable ways to work to help folks to get access to devices and learn how to use them.

Also, Digital Equity Act funding is not totally dead, thanks to a lawsuit from NDIA challenging the Administration’s decision to withhold the funds allocated by Congress.

Rural Competition Improving. It’s easy to be dismissive of Starlink, but the company now provides broadband to 2 million U.S. households, most of which don’t have a faster broadband option today. Over the last year, T-Mobile, Verizon, and now AT&T enabled numerous rural cell towers with FWA cellular broadband, and customers lucky enough to live within a few miles of the towers got access to new, affordable broadband.

BEAD Not a Total Bust. For a while, it looked like BEAD would be gutted for fiber construction, but a lot of states were still able to make substantial grant awards to build fiber. Hopefully, the winning ISPs get to work and get fiber to communities that have been waiting a decade or more for better broadband.

Improved Cellular. Cellular speeds continue to improve. Recently, AT&T implemented 3.45 GHz spectrum at 23,000 cell sites in just a few weeks.

Technology Marches Forward. This last year saw announcements for faster PON fiber electronics and faster DOCSIS 4.0 gear. Fixed wireless radios are improving at an astounding rate. We’re even talking about routine texting from anywhere using satellites.

Personal Thanks. Like most years, I met a lot of new clients and made new friends this year. I am particularly happy to see a lot of new, younger faces who are taking the reins in the industry. I’m always thankful for the many friends and colleagues who have provided me with support and a sounding board over the last year. I’m thankful for my family who supports me as I work to support broadband projects and write this blog every day. I’m especially thankful for the cats, squirrels, crows, chipmunks, and the other critters who make me smile every day.