The BEAD program has dropped its fiber-first preference, shifting toward tech-neutral guidelines that prioritize user experience and deployment speed. The updated rules call for a minimum of 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream, low latency, and a favorable cost per location.
MDUs such as apartment blocks and hotels pose last-mile challenges because wiring is costly and disruptive. BEAD’s guidance points to alternatives that can deliver fiber-like performance without rewiring—most notably MoCA Access 2.5 over existing coaxial cabling.
MoCA Access 2.5 can achieve up to 2.5 Gbps PHY throughput with a one-way latency under 3 milliseconds, enabling seamless IP-network integration and avoiding the need to install fiber or Cat 6 inside buildings. This approach uses infrastructure already in millions of properties, dramatically speeding deployments.
The right vendor matters: a provider must offer a solution that remains reliable across fiber, fixed wireless access, or hybrid setups and remains standards-compliant. A MoCA-based system meets BEAD’s rapid deployment, low-cost, and low-latency goals, potentially shaving weeks off MDUs’ timelines.
Beyond speed and latency, BEAD’s tech-neutral stance aims for sustainable, scalable rollouts that reduce waste from new cabling and lower carbon footprints—while expanding coverage to more households, often at less than half the cost of FTTH. The industry now has a path to curb the last-mile bottleneck and achieve meaningful reach.
