How Internet Exchanges Can Help BEAD Winners Succeed

The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is unlocking billions of dollars to expand connectivity across underserved communities. But winning BEAD funding is only the first step—successful implementation requires careful planning, efficient use of resources, and long-term sustainability. One often overlooked piece of this puzzle is the role of Internet Exchanges (IXPs).

Keeping Traffic Local

When BEAD winners build new last-mile or middle-mile networks, connecting back to the global Internet is essential. Without a nearby exchange, that traffic may have to travel hundreds of miles to a major metro before reaching popular destinations like cloud providers, streaming platforms, or even local government websites. This detour adds latency, reduces performance, and increases costs.

By joining FD-IX, networks can exchange traffic locally in Indianapolis and other regional markets. This keeps video calls crisp, gaming responsive, and cloud applications snappy—all while avoiding unnecessary transport expenses.

Stretching BEAD Dollars Further

BEAD funding is tied to measurable outcomes like adoption, affordability, and resilience. Every dollar spent on long-haul transport is a dollar not spent on expanding fiber routes, upgrading fixed wireless, or building redundancy. Internet Exchanges lower operating costs by enabling direct interconnection with major carriers, content networks, and peers.

For BEAD winners, this means grant dollars go further and buildout goals are more achievable.

Enhancing Reliability and Redundancy

Redundancy is a key scoring factor in BEAD applications and a critical requirement for long-term network health. IXPs, like FD-IX, offer diverse paths to content and cloud providers, reducing the risk of single-point failures. In many cases, BEAD awardees can establish a multi-path design by pairing local IX connectivity with upstream transit—strengthening the case for resiliency and compliance with BEAD evaluation standards.

Supporting Community Anchor Institutions

Hospitals, schools, libraries, and government offices—known as community anchor institutions—are at the center of BEAD’s mission. By leveraging an Internet Exchange, these institutions can benefit from lower-latency access to cloud services, telehealth platforms, and e-learning tools. This not only improves quality of service but also demonstrates tangible outcomes to regulators and stakeholders.

Building Partnerships That Last

Finally, an IXP is more than just a switch. It’s a community of networks: regional ISPs, universities, enterprises, and carriers working together to strengthen the Internet fabric. BEAD winners that interconnect at FD-IX gain access to a collaborative ecosystem where new partnerships, cost-sharing opportunities, and best-practice exchanges are part of the daily conversation.

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The Bottom Line

Winning BEAD funds is a major milestone—but ensuring those networks thrive requires smart infrastructure decisions. Internet Exchanges like FD-IX help BEAD winners reduce costs, improve performance, enhance resilience, and better serve their communities.

If you’re a BEAD awardee looking to maximize your impact, connect with FD-IX today and discover how local interconnection can accelerate your mission.

👉 Contact FD-IX to learn more.