Moving Without the Money: Why the Smartest Telecom Players Aren’t Waiting on BEAD

The broadband and telecom sectors are at a pivotal moment. Billions in federal funding are on the horizon, yet many companies are choosing to wait rather than act. As BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program dollars slowly make their way through bureaucratic pipelines, the industry is showing signs of strategic hesitation.

But at CBM, we’ve been around long enough to see how markets behave when money talks but doesn’t move. And one truth keeps resurfacing: the companies who wait to grow are often the ones who get absorbed, while those who keep building become market leaders.

For anyone trying to answer the question: “What should we be doing while we wait?”, let’s break it down.

Growth Can’t Wait for BEAD

The BEAD program is a game-changer, on paper. It promises over $42 billion to help close the broadband gap, especially in underserved and rural communities. But the funding rollout is slow. State-level plans are still under review. Timelines vary wildly, and most industry insiders don’t expect large-scale deployments to begin until late 2025.

If your current growth strategy is structured around BEAD funding, you’re planning for “maybe” when the market demands “now.”

Let’s revisit history:

• In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) earmarked $7.2 billion for broadband. A large portion of that didn’t reach contractors and end users for over three years.
• During that delay, companies that waited for funding missed market share gains. Many were eventually bought out by better-prepared competitors.
• Today, over 70% of smaller ISPs (under 25,000 subscribers) are actively in M&A conversations, according to NTCA research.

Meanwhile, bandwidth demand continues to rise—driven by hybrid work, telehealth, streaming, and IoT expansion. According to the Fiber Broadband Association, fiber demand has doubled in rural and suburban markets since 2020.

So, what’s the real risk? Companies without a growth plan today are not standing still—they’re sliding backward.

This isn’t about spending big. It’s about staying in motion.

Why Smaller, Smarter Buying Wins

In uncertain markets, timing is everything—and so is how you buy.

There’s a common misconception right now that you should hold off on purchasing until funding is in-hand, then place large, consolidated POs to take advantage of economies of scale. But here’s what we’ve seen, both historically and in the current market:

• Supply chain stress hasn’t disappeared. In fact, many core products (fiber, enclosures, PoE cabling) still have 12-to-16-week lead times depending on spec.
• When BEAD funding is finally released, everyone will be buying at once, creating congestion, price hikes, and back-order chaos.
• Buying in large, delayed quantities means more capital tied up, more risk of spec changes, and higher warehousing needs.

What’s working instead? Strategic, phased purchasing.

We work daily with contractors and network operators who have moved to smaller, consistent material buys—keeping lead times manageable, staying off allocation lists, and ensuring crews always have what they need to keep building.

This method also:

• Secures better vendor relationships
• Stabilizes cash flow
• Allows more agile planning as project scopes evolve

It’s not just efficient, it’s protective. These companies are building not only networks, but resilience.

Strong Rep Relationships Make the Difference

There’s one more piece to this puzzle that often goes overlooked—especially by those newer to infrastructure deployment.

In a volatile market, your manufacturer’s rep isn’t just a salesperson. They’re your real-time advantage.

At CBM, we operate across the Midwest with deep partnerships in the fiber, electrical, and utility sectors. We’re in daily contact with manufacturers, distributors, contractors, and end users. That means we often know:

• What’s shipping
• What’s delayed
• What’s trending in spec submittals
• And where substitutions can save you time without sacrificing quality

During the height of the supply chain crisis in 2021, we helped several network builders re-spec critical materials in order to avoid weeks of lost labor and project penalties. We didn’t just offer product, we offered solutions. That’s the power of proximity and experience.

What we’ve learned is simple: reps on the ground often have better insight than national forecasts or procurement software. They can guide you on:

• How to adjust your bill of materials
• Which vendors have the stock you need now
• What’s changing in state specs, even before it becomes public

And most importantly—they can help you move faster, with fewer surprises.

The Bottom Line: This Is the Moment to Lead

If you’ve read this far, you already understand that hesitation doesn’t equate to stability. The companies that will define this decade of broadband aren’t waiting on perfect conditions. They’re building smartly through the imperfect ones.

Whether you’re a contractor preparing for new bids, a utility mapping long-term expansion, or a network owner trying to manage cost and risk—we’re here to help.

We don’t just represent products. We represent progress, backed by six decades of relationships and real-world field intelligence.

If you’re planning for growth, navigating material procurement, or preparing for BEAD-related rollouts, let’s talk. Because growth doesn’t wait, and neither should you.

Talk to CBM about how to scale smart—even without government dollars.