WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2026 — Broadband has become the price of admission for a rural community rather than a growth strategy on its own, panelists said Wednesday on Broadband Breakfast Live Online . Also weighing in on the benefits for rural communities was Jonathan Chambers, co-CEO of Conexon, which works with co-ops to build fiber networks. That model has sustained rural communities since the late 1930s through today. Its impact is clearly felt in rural communities, but for now, capacity constraints means that LEO "doesn't seem to be meeting the need completely," Cleland said. "Let these rural communities have a say as to what gets deployed there.