Wyoming has officially joined the list of U.S. states choosing Amazon’s Project Kuiper over SpaceX’s Starlink for its rural broadband expansion. Even though Kuiper has not yet launched its full service, the state is betting on Amazon’s promise. They aim to bring faster download speeds to tens of thousands of underserved households.
What’s Happening & Why This Matters
Wyoming’s decision is part of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. This is a federally funded initiative designed to close internet coverage gaps across the country. The state awarded Project Kuiper the contract to serve about 40% of more than 38,000 eligible locations, with subsidies close to $10 million.
In contrast, Starlink, the more established satellite operator from SpaceX, will serve only 629 locations under the program. They will be receiving around $1 million in federal support. The majority of the state’s BEAD allocation—over $198 million—will go toward traditional fiber and fixed wireless networks.
Wyoming’s choice follows a similar move by Colorado, which also leaned heavily on Kuiper rather than Starlink. The decisions reflect a trend among several states to diversify their providers. Meanwhile, others continue to prioritize fiber optic networks, considered more stable but also more costly to deploy.
The Trump administration’s revisions to BEAD earlier this year encouraged “technology neutrality” and cost efficiency. This opened the door for satellite providers to secure larger pieces of the funding pie. That shift allowed Kuiper, still in its early rollout, to compete directly with Starlink.
Why Wyoming Picked Kuiper
The state broadband office has not provided an official explanation for its preference. However, Kuiper has pledged to deliver download speeds of at least 150Mbps, compared with Starlink’s contracted 100Mbps in BEAD locations.
Another factor may be capacity concerns. Starlink already serves over 2 million U.S. customers, raising questions about its ability to scale quickly for new obligations. Under BEAD requirements, both providers must supply satellite dishes at no cost and reserve network capacity for eligible locations.
Still, Amazon’s service is not yet operational. With just over 100 Kuiper satellites in orbit, Amazon is racing to launch dozens more before activating service. Pricing for Kuiper’s broadband offering has not yet been disclosed, adding another layer of uncertainty to Wyoming’s decision.
TF Summary: What’s Next
Wyoming’s move signals growing competition between Amazon’s Project Kuiper and SpaceX’s Starlink for rural connectivity contracts. By prioritising Kuiper’s promised speeds, the state is effectively betting on Amazon’s ability to deliver on untested infrastructure. If Kuiper succeeds, it could reshape how federal broadband funds are allocated, giving states more alternatives to fiber and Starlink.
For now, residents in remote Wyoming communities will wait for Kuiper’s launch. They are eager to see if Amazon can bridge the digital divide as promised. With more states reviewing BEAD allocations, the contest between Kuiper and Starlink is just beginning.
— Text-to-Speech (TTS) provided by gspeech