Ohio Received $793 Million in Federal Broadband Funds

Starlink Chosen to Cover 31,000 Homes in Ohio

Ohio selected SpaceX’s Starlink to serve 31,000 underserved homes under the federal BEAD program. The state awarded the satellite provider $51.6 million, giving Starlink a 41% share of all eligible locations. No other internet service provider came close. Spectrum, the second-largest awardee, secured just 13 percent.

This is Starlink’s second-largest BEAD award so far. Only Montana allocated more, granting $119 million earlier this month to cover 20,000 locations. Colorado also leaned heavily on satellite providers, but favored Amazon’s Project Kuiper over SpaceX.

Cost Savings Drive the Decision

Ohio received $793 million in federal broadband funds. State officials project they will only need $227 million to meet deployment goals. The savings reflect Ohio’s decision to prioritize lowest cost bids over speed or technology type.

That emphasis gave Starlink an advantage. Satellite service is available immediately and does not require costly fiber construction. State leaders framed the move as a practical solution to close coverage gaps faster and at lower expense.

Trade-Offs Between Fiber and Satellite

The trade-off is clear. Starlink must provide speeds of 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up. Fiber providers like Spectrum and AT&T plan to deliver gigabit service to the same areas.

Starlink will supply free hardware to eligible homes, but it is not required to discount monthly service. Critics argue that households who wanted satellite already had access. Others question whether taxpayers should subsidize technology that lags behind fiber in long-term performance.