FCC Scrutiny Threatens 2026 Build

Verizon is betting its future on customer experience, not just network strength, as the race to deliver for the 2026 World Cup heats up. CEO Dan Schulman says the days of competing on “best network” alone are over—Verizon wants to be the brand that stands for trust, even after laying off 13,000 staff to free up investment for customers. The stakes are high: with earnings around the corner and a promise of a new value proposition set for 2026, Verizon’s pivot from engineering-first to experience-led could reshape how it sells and monetizes connectivity.

But here’s the catch: the FCC is circling, probing whether Verizon has lived up to merger promises made when it bought Frontier’s assets for $20 billion. Contractors say prices haven’t kept up with inflation, creating a “monopsony” squeeze. If regulators decide to dig in, even small document requests could slow down infrastructure rollouts and squeeze margins, just as Verizon scrambles to scale up for the World Cup with massive stadium upgrades and slick private 5G demos.

For a pulse check, all eyes are on Verizon’s April 27 results—early clues on whether this experience-first bet is already moving the needle on customer loyalty and revenue per user. Featuring insights from CEO Dan Schulman and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr.

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