General

Broadband Bytes, May 2025 Issue 1

Summary: Four Trends in Infrastructure Spending, Technology Equality, BEAD delays lead to layoffs, Fiber Investments drive Europe Infrastructure, Dish sells off its fiber biz, Cuts to USDA Broadband Funds?, Trump to kill Digital Equity Act Funds?, BEAD guidance to states delayed, 500 Mbps—the New Entry-Level Broadband Speed.Funding, Network Expansions, M&A:Paul Bunyan Comm. Fiber Expansion MN, Greenlight Networks Fiber Expansion PA, PhireLink to acquire Arkwest Comm., $40M in NJ Broadband Grants, Ripple Fiber NC Expansion, Fidium Fiber Expansion NH, PRIME FIBER partners with AT&T in AZ, New Las Vegas Dark Fiber Network, Bell Canada to focus on Ziply Expansion.1. Four Trends in Infrastructure Spending. Infrastructure Spending is Up, But Spending as a Share of GDP is Down. State and Local Governments Fund Most Infrastructure Spending. The Share of Infrastructure Spending on Maintenance is Climbing. State And Local Revenues More Important than Federal Grants. 4 Trends in Infrastructure Spending2. Technology Equality. There was an article published 4/25 by Dr. Christopher Ali in Tech Policy Press that asks if we should be making widespread broadband grants to Starlink and other low-orbit satellite technologies. Dr. Ali is Professor of Telecommunications in the Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State. He says, “There is an important difference between technological neutrality and technological equality. LEO and fiber are unequal, and any policy that treats them as such will widen the divide we have spent decades trying to bridge.” Technology Equality3. BEAD delay causes Louisiana layoffs at construction firm. Delays to BEAD forced a Louisiana broadband construction firm to layoff 80% of subcontractors according to Josh Etheridge, the co-owner of EPC. Etheridge said EPC was ready to put boots on the ground to begin BEAD deployments on January 25. BEAD delays lead to layoffs4. Advancing Full Fiber Investment in Europe: Financing the Path to Universal Connectivity. It is essential to reinforce fiber as strategic infrastructure. Europe’s digital transformation relies heavily on the widespread deployment of full fiber networks. To reach the current 75% coverage rate, European operators have invested close to €120 billion in FTTH deployment, with 57% of this capital originating from alternative operators—primarily funded through private financing. This reflects the growing recognition of fiber networks as a resilient, long-term infrastructure asset class. Nevertheless, significant gaps remain. To reach 90% coverage, a further €120 billion in investment will be required, while extending to 99% necessitates a further €50 billion. Fiber investments- the path to Universal Connectivity in Europe5. Dish sells off its fiber biz. Mereo Networks, a bulk broadband provider, acquired DISH Fiber Internet from DISH Network. DISH Fiber, a bulk fiber internet and video content provider, launched in 2019 aimed at multi-family communities. Dish Fiber serves over 25,000 residential units across 33 states. The transaction, which closed April 30, 2025, strengthens Mereo’s presence across key growth markets in the Sun Belt, Mountain West and Great Lakes regions. Mereo Networks will rebrand as Mereo Fiber and plans to increase its footprint of over 80,000 residential units to 37 states.6. Trump Plan Wants to Cut USDA Broadband Funding. The Trump administration unveiled a new budget plan that called for halting new broadband funding through the United States Department of Agriculture. Congress established the USDA’s ReConnect Program to expand rural broadband access in 2018. Since the program’s creation, Congress has issued $2.3 billion in funding for ReConnect programs and loans for rural broadband deployment.Trump budget proposal wants to cut USDA Broadband Funding7. Trump wants to axe digital equity funding. President Trump wants to do away with the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act, a move that could hinder efforts to close the U.S. digital divide. Trump called the Digital Equity Act unconstitutional amid the admin’s broader anti-DEI push. Experts warned that reversing the law could make the digital divide worse. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) and Public Knowledge warned ending the Digital Equity Act would halt progress in closing the digital divide and hurt communities in both red and blue states. Trump wants to axe digital equity funding8. BEAD Guidance to States Delayed Until Summer. States have been expecting updated guidance from the Commerce Department on a $42.45 billion broadband expansion plan by the middle of this month. That guidance appears to have been delayed until June or July. It’s not clear whether the newly delayed guidance will call for sweeping changes to the program that could require states to redo some of their grant application work. More than 40 states have started accepting bids from ISPs seeking deployment grants, with many well into the process of selecting winners. BEAD Guidance to States Delayed until Summer?9. Report: 500 Mbps Is the New Entry-Level Broadband Speed. Tarifica, a market research firm, has released a new report examining home broadband pricing and speed from 21 providers across four major U.S. cities. Among the finds is that the 500 Mbps tier has replaced the 100 Mbps tier as the entry-level standard for broadband service in the U.S. The firm found that the average monthly cost for a 500 Mbps plan was $57.66, and a 100 Mbps plan was $49.11. “The pricing gap between 100 Mbps and 500 Mbps has effectively disappeared, which tells us that consumers now view 500 Mbps as the baseline for modern broadband,” Will Watts, Tarifica’s vice president of product, said in a prepared statement. “This shift reflects both consumer demand and provider repositioning of their entry-level tiers.” 500Mbps New Entry Level Broadband SpeedFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Paul Bunyan Communications to Expand to 2,000 Additional Locations in St. Louis County, MN. Paul Bunyan Communications will be expanding its all-fiber optic network to over 2,000 more locations in St. Louis County this year with five different projects. Construction will take place over the summer/fall with services expected to be available by winter. Paul Bunyan Communications Fiber Expansion MN2. Greenlight Networks continues fiber buildout in Chambersburg, PA. A $5.8 million investment will fuel Greenlight Networks’ expansion in Chambersburg this summer. According to Greenlight Networks, the project will deliver access to more than 5,000 locations when completed. Greenlight Networks $5.8M fiber expansion PA3. PhireLink to Acquire Arkwest Communications, Expand to Arkansas. PhireLink announced that it will acquire Arkwest Communications, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spectracomm, Inc. The acquisition will expand PPhireLink’sbusiness into the Arkansas market. The company already has broadband business in Louisiana, Colorado, and Kansas. Arkwest Communications has a fiber network covering more than 900 route miles. The deal is expected to be completed in the second quarter of the year. PhireLink to acquire Arkwest Communications4. New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Approves $40M in Broadband Grants. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has approved $40 million in grants that will bring broadband to more than 9,000 broadband serviceable locations (BSLs) in seven counties in the state. Awardees included the City of Vineland, the County of Salem, the Borough of Penns Grove, Brightspeed (as Connect Holding II LLC), and Verizon New Jersey Inc. $40M in NJ Broadband Grants5. Ripple Fiber has earned a $4 million grant for Harnett County through a program led by North CCarolina’sBroadband Infrastructure Office. The grant will help the provider reach over 850 unserved and underserved locations in Harnett County. According to Ripple Fiber, the transaction is a result of the ccompany’sfinalized agreement to acquire fiber infrastructure assets from CloudWyze. Ripple Fiber NC Expansion6. Fidium Fiber expands access to thousands of homes and businesses in Jackson and Newport New Hampshire. More than 3,800 homes and businesses in Newport and 2,100 locations in Jackson have gained access to FFidium’sall-fiber network. In total, over a quarter million residents in New Hampshire have access to FFidium’snetwork. The provider, a brand from Consolidated Communications, currently offers services in eight states. Fidium Fiber Expands access in NH7. PRIME FiBER Expands Wholesale Fiber Partnership with AT&T to Arizona. PRIME FiBER, a commercial open-access fiber infrastructure company, has signed agreements with AT&T for the provision of wholesale fiber access services in the Sun City area of Maricopa County and the City of Peoria, Arizona. PRIME FiBER was established in late 2023 and operates as the wholesale open-access arm of NOVOS FiBER, a retail fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) company serving residents and small businesses. The business is backed by InLight Capital, a private investment firm based in Sugar Land, Texas. PRIME FIBER partners with AT&T in AZ8. Construction is underway for new dark-fiber network in Vegas. A new 60-mile ring of route fiber around Las Vegas will reach four cities and multiple data centers, according to the firm behind the project. In an announcement May 5th, Light Source Communications (LSC), the company building the network, said construction on the network is underway. The network, to be completed later this year, is the third major project LSC has undertaken this year. LSC is also undertaking similar efforts in Tulsa and Phoenix.  New Las Vegas Dark Fiber Network    Broadband Bytes is a regular feature by David Levine of UCL Swift. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD,and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions.He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift.

May 21, 2025

General

Broadband Bytes, April 2025 Issue 2

This edition of Broadband Bytes includes: Directive to streamline permitting, Telecom capex to decline 2%, NTIA Issues 90-day extension for BEAD plans, Fiber to lead home internet delivery method, Study shows internet prices increasing for many, Broadband is critical infrastructure, Why would SpaceX need $20B from BEAD?, Two Louisiana CEOs urge no further BEAD delays, Telecom groups want out of these FCC rules.Funding, Network Expansions, M&A: $22M+ NC Broadband Grants, TDS Sells Strasburg Phone to Eastern Slope, FiberLight to acquire Metro Fiber Networks, Pauling Putnam Elect Co-Op New Fiber Network OH, Visionary Broadband/Aristata Communications, Frontier wins big in CT Grant Funds, Surf Internet $30M investment Grant County, IN, ID Announces List of Prequalified BEAD Providers, Lyte Fiber $60M+ TX fiber project.1. Presidential Memorandum Directs Agencies to Streamline Permitting. A presidential memorandum directs agencies to “apply modern technologies” in the interest of efficiently evaluating environmental permits. Federal agencies have been directed to “make maximum use of technology in environmental review and permitting” under a new presidential memorandum issued this week. The memorandum orders the elimination of paper-based application and review processes, along with accelerating the processing time for projects. Read more.2. Telecom Capex to Decline at 2% CAGR Through 2027, Says Dell’Oro Group. Forecast: Modest Growth, Lower Capital Intensity. Carrier capex is expected to decline at a 2% CAGR through 2027. Carrier revenues are projected to grow modestly at +1% CAGR. Read more.3. NTIA Issues Blanket 90-Day Extension for BEAD Plans. The agency said in a policy notice that the states would need more time to implement forthcoming changes to the program. States are expecting updated guidance from the NTIA sometime next month. Read more.4. Fiber Poised to Become Leading Home Internet Delivery Method. A report from RVA LLC projects optical fiber will be the leading internet delivery method to American homes by 2030, driven by consumer demand and a diverse deployment landscape. The report projects that annual FTTH deployment will reach its peak over the next five years, projecting capital expenditures to total $167 billion through 2029. According to research conducted by RVA, 65% of Americans would choose fiber if given the option, compared to 18% who would prefer coaxial cable and 17% who favor wireless, DSL, or satellite. RVA forecasts that this growing preference for fiber will drive FTTH adoption. Read more.5. Study Shows More Than 6 in 10 Seeing Higher Prices for Internet, Reliability Still an Issue. A new study shows that a majority of adults in the U.S. have seen their internet bills increase over the past year, and a significant number have had to change their service because of it. The study, commissioned by CNET, was conducted in March among 2,367 adults. Internet bills have increased over the past year for more than 6 in 10 (63%) of adults. The study also asked internet users about speed and reliability, finding that 42% of respondents endured unreliable internet speeds or connectivity during the previous year. Read more.6. Broadband is Critical Infrastructure. The Kansas legislature recently enacted HB 2061 that declared that broadband is critical infrastructure. Specifically, the new law says that it is a felony to trespass or damage aboveground and belowground lines, cable and wires used for telecommunications or video services.  This might seem like feel-good legislation sponsored by the telecom industry. However, the real goal is to make it easier for law enforcement to go after those who vandalize networks. Read more.7. Why Would SpaceX Need $20B From BEAD? $3.5B can buy 6.4 million Starlink residential installations. The current cost for a residential ground mount installation kit for Starlink is $349. Add $199 for a roof mount. At $548, 6.4 million kits would cost the BEAD program $3.5B. That’s $3.5B out of $43.5B to get every single “un- or underserved” home waiting on BEAD, a Starlink system. A good temporary solution while they build fiber. The idea of Starlink playing a bigger role in BEAD is fine. But it should remain an alternative to fiber where fiber is simply not feasible. And the states know where that applies. Read more8. Two Louisiana CEO’s Call Upon Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to Address BEAD Delays and Reaffirm a Strategic Commitment to Fiber. Days after the CEO of Louisiana-based SkyRider Communications penned an open letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick pleading for BEAD to move forward, another Louisiana CEO has voiced a similar call. David Herring, the founder and CEO of ClearPath Fiber, sent a separate letter stating that the financial risk to his company is growing “each day federal guidance is delayed or revised.” Now, Herring says ClearPath “can’t continue this work.” “Not because we aren’t ready,” he writes in the letter, dated April 23, “but because delays and uncertainty are costing us everything.” Read more9. Telecom groups want out of these FCC rules. FCC chief Brendan Carr has declared open season on regulations, prompting trade groups and individuals to speak up en masse on which rules they would like to see changed. 772 comments were submitted by the public since the FCC opened its proceeding on March 12. Fierce Telecom took a look at what some of the major telecom trade orgs are saying—and their biggest concerns. Read moreFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1.  This announcement was reported in the previous edition of Broadband Bytes, but this new link provides more details of the grants and number of locations for NC $22M+ Broadband Grants. Read more.2. TDS Selling Strasburg Phone Company to Eastern Slope (CO) Rural Telephone. TDS Telecommunications and the Eastern Slope Rural Telephone Association have entered into a stock purchase agreement under which ownership of the Strasburg Telephone Company will move from TDS to Eastern Slope. The Eastern Slope Rural Telephone Association has existed for more than 70 years and serves the eastern Colorado communities of Arriba, Bennett, Eads, Flagler, Genoa, Haswell, Hugo, Karval, Kit Carson, & Woodrow. Read more3. FiberLight to Acquire Metro Fiber Networks. The acquisition opens a new corridor from Virginia Beach to Data Center Alley in Northern Virginia, and also Atlanta and Charlotte. The acquisition, expected to close by June, would give FiberLight one of the most direct, lowest-latency routes linking the largest U.S. subsea cable landing station—located in Virginia Beach, which handles roughly 70 percent of all transoceanic internet traffic—to Richmond, with future plans to extend that route to the major government and hyperscale data centers of Northern Virginia. Read more4. Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative Begins Fiber Network Construction in OH and IN. The (network) will bridge the digital divide for members and businesses across Northwest Ohio and Northeast Indiana. By fall 2025, the first customer should have fiber internet service. Mainline fiber construction began in the Latty substation area on April 15. PPEC’s contractor, ITG Communications, is hanging mainline fiber. Construction will continue in the Roselm substation area by June 2025. Read more5. Visionary Broadband Rebrands Aristata Communications, Upgrades Service in Colorado. More than 4,000 internet customers in Chaffee and Custer counties (CO) are now officially Visionary Broadband customers, following the full rebranding of Aristata Communications. The naming update comes just one year after Visionary acquired Aristata. It caps off a year of rapid infrastructure investment, customer speed boosts and expanded fiber projects across the region. Read more6. Frontier Wins Big in Second Round of Connecticut Broadband Grant Funding. Frontier Communications was the big winner in the second round of funding in the ConneCTed Communities Grant Program, a Connecticut broadband initiative. The awards, which total $9.9 million, will support the build-out of broadband to approximately 3,802 residences and businesses in 44 towns and cities. Read more7. Surf Internet announces $30M investment into Grant County, IN. The $30 million investment will fund a fiber internet expansion to reach more than half of Grant County, Indiana’s population by next year. Read more8. Idaho Announces List of Prequalified BEAD Providers. The Idaho Broadband Office has announced 43 approvals of applications in the prequalification phase of the state’s BEAD Program subgrantee selection. The 43 approvals—some of which are provisional—were from 45 applications that were submitted.  The state and third-party consultants will review applications before making the final awards. The full list follows: Read more9. Lyte Fiber to Embark On Fiber Project in Two Texas Counties. Houston-based Lyte Fiber will connect more than 6,700 locations across two rural Texas counties. The project will occur in Marion and Navarro counties. It is funded by $57.8 million from the state and $11 million from Lyte Fiber. Public money for the project was awarded through the state’s Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) II Program. Read more    Broadband Bytes is a regular feature by David Levine of UCL Swift. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD,and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions.He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift.

May 21, 2025

General

UCL Swift Spring 2025 Quarterly Newsletter

From the desk of Brad Everette, General Manager, UCL Swift AmericasIt’s been an exciting season of growth here at UCL. Since moving into our new Texas space, the pace of progress has been incredible—we’re already reaching capacity faster than anticipated. This momentum is a testament to the hard work of our team and the trust of our partners and customers.As the industry continues to evolve, UCL is positioned at the forefront of innovation in connectivity and fiber technology. Our role is more critical than ever in driving future growth and helping shape the technological infrastructure of tomorrow. With demand continuing to rise, we’re ready for expansion to better serve our growing network and stay ahead of the curve.Learn More About Us HereUCL YouTube Channel Feature Check out the helpful resources on our YouTube Channel.The UCL Swift North America YouTube channel offers a comprehensive library of instructional videos designed to support technicians and integrators in the field.From fusion splicer setup and calibration to advanced troubleshooting and maintenance, our content provides step-by-step guidance to help you maximize performance and minimize downtime.Staff HighlightTom HallWith over 35 years of industry experience, Tom Hall brings deep expertise and a strong track record to UCL Swift.His career began as a Communications Specialist in the U.S. Army, followed by multiple civilian positions, including Maintenance Supervisor, Technical Trainer, Support Manager and Project Manager. This hands-on experience uniquely positions him to support UCL Swift's broadband growth strategy.Tom is adept at communicating how our fusion splicers, connectors, MSTs and cable can be seamlessly integrated into both greenfield and brownfield FTTH projects, delivering real value and performance to our partners.Hardened Fusion Splice-On ConnectorFully Compatible OptiTap® Style Hardened SolutionThe Swift HDC Connector provides the highest quality standards-based field-installable connector for hardened optical applications.This field-installable hardened solution is ideal for both new installations and repairs and eliminates inventoried products in warehouses and on tech vehicles, reducing SKUs and improving cash flow.

Apr 24, 2025

General

Broadband Bytes, April 2025 Issue 1

This edition of Broadband Bytes includes: Supreme Court hears USF, BEAD news reaches consumers, Former BEAD Director warns of shift from fiber focus,  So You Want BEAD to be Tech Neutral?, State legislators request status quo on BEAD, Tariff impact on BEAD?, Tariff impact on supply chain outside of BEAD, Analyzing Telecom’s workforce shrinkage by the numbers, Amazon LEO Sat Launch, Viewpoint: Why BEAD presents foundational questions for states and cities.Funding, Network Expansions, M&A: Starlink to Acquire Google Fiber, NY MIP $50M Grant Program, BAM Broadband CO Fiber Expansion, NOVOS Fiber $130M+ AZ Fiber Investment, Brightspeed goal 5 million connections, NC $22M ARPA Grants, Nextlink Fiber Expansion TX, TDS Fiber Expansion Grant County, WI.1. There’s Still Hope for the USF, but No Easy Fix. This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments about the Fifth Circuit's decision that the USF’s funding method is unconstitutional. While it’s by no means certain, New Street Research Policy Analyst Blair Levin said the current USF framework is “more likely than not to be upheld.” The bigger question is what happens next. Read more.2. BEAD News Reaches Consumers. Read more.3. Former BEAD Director Warns Against Straying from Fiber Focus. Low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity will not offer the same price relief for consumers compared to fiber, according to Evan Feinman, the NTIA’s former director of the BEAD Program. Feinman warned that rural Americans would “get less and pay more” with satellite connectivity versus fiber. Additionally, he said the BEAD Program’s emphasis on state-crafted proposals has allowed states to decide the technology mixtures that best suit them, with factors like geography playing in. Read more4. Related to the Above: Article by Jessica Dine, a Policy Analyst at New America’s Open Technology Institute and Wireless Future Project, “So You Want BEAD to be Tech Neutral? BEAD Should Use All Technologies, but Not All Technologies Are Equal.” Talk about tech neutrality largely centers around the inclusion of two technologies that generally offer lower quality service than fiber home internet provides: fixed wireless broadband and LEO satellite service. These technologies typically cost less to deploy. But maximizing the utility of these funds means comparing more than upfront deployment costs. In the long run, it’s unclear how much money we would save by relying on satellite service in place of fiber—or if we would even save at all. A fiber connection has far more capacity and a useful life of several dozen years, while a LEO satellite’s lifespan is closer to five. Investing in fiber where it’s feasible might save replacement costs down the line. Read more.5. More Legislators Request Status Quo for BEAD. A group of bipartisan state legislators representing 28 states signed a letter asking U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to permit the NTIA to allow state BEAD plans and digital equity programs to proceed without delay. Any program changes should be optional rather than mandatory, the letter added, because mandatory changes could undo the signees’ BEAD and DE plans and delay broadband deployment by more than a year. Read more.6. Will Tariffs Impact BEAD Deployments? An Industry Expert’s Opinion. Thanks to BABA Act regulations, the new tariffs announced by President Trump are likely to have only a modest impact on broadband deployments associated with the BEAD Program. That’s according to Dr. Nathan Smith, the Director of Economics and Policy for Connected Nation. BEAD funds were already subject to BABA restrictions for most BEAD network components. “As a result, the additional impact of the new tariffs on BEAD costs is modest.” Smith, however, warned that indirect effects from the tariff announcements could still produce impacts (ie, on labor and capital). Read more.7. …But Outside of BEAD, Tariff Impact on the Telecom Supply Chain Could Be Worse. Trump’s new reciprocal tariffs on China, Vietnam and other countries will raise the price of telecom equipment, analysts said. “Tariffs will certainly raise the price of equipment needed for telecommunications,” said Jason Miller, professor of Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University. The U.S. is “very reliant” on the imported goods needed for those systems to function. Read more. (ED Note: President Trump put a 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs on April 9, 2025.)8. Analyzing Telecom’s Big Workforce Shrinkage. Fierce Broadband compiled and analyzed the employee, revenue and profit figures for eight operators. There didn’t appear to be a direct link between the financial metrics and employee count. Analysts said AI, automation and restructuring have had more of an impact on the telecom workforce. Read more.9. With all the talk about Starlink…Amazon’s Project Kuiper to Launch 27 Satellites April 9. April 9 is a launch day for Project Kuiper, Amazon’s low earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet initiative. The company will conduct Kuiper Atlas 1 (KA-01), which is the deployment of 27 satellites 280 miles above Earth. Amazon says that Project Kuiper aims to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to “virtually any location on the planet.” KA-01 will be followed by about 80 launches that will carry more than 3,200 satellites into space. Read more.10. Viewpoint: Why BEAD Presents a Foundational Question for States and Cities. By Richard Watts, Chief Commercial Officer, International Fiber Alliance.  “If we are to treat broadband as essential infrastructure, then we must ensure that public BEAD investments result in long-term public value.” A smart model: Public ownership + private operation. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Starlink to Acquire Google Fiber in $22B Deal. SpaceX’s satellite broadband service Starlink, announced that it would acquire Alphabet’s Google Fiber for $22 billion. The deal is pending review by the FTC. Google Fiber will be renamed Fiber X, according to an announcement by Starlink. Read more2. New York Starts Next Phase of Broadband Grant Program, With $50M Available. The state of New York has launched the 4th phase of the New York Municipal Infrastructure Program (MIP) Request for Applications, which will provide nearly $50 million available to support broadband infrastructure projects across the state. Applications will be accepted through April 25.  The fourth phase of the program boosts the total funding to nearly $300M, using funds from the U.S. Treasury Capital Projects Fund. Read more3. BAM Broadband’s Fiber Network Expansion in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Will Continue Through 2025, reaching thousands of additional homes, businesses, and multi-dwelling units (MDUs). The project, which began in 2024, is part of BAM’s larger expansion efforts in Arizona and Colorado. Highlands Ranch, located in Douglas County, has a population of over 100,000. Read more.4. Novos Fiber & Prime Fiber Announce $130M+ Arizona Fiber Internet Investment. NOVOS Fiber announced its largest investment to date in the city of Phoenix, Arizona, where construction is underway. It is the sister arm to Prime Fiber, a wholesale open-access provider currently deploying fiber infrastructure in Florida. Both businesses are backed by InLight Capital, a private investment firm based in Sugar Land, Texas. Read more.5. Brightspeed Changes Goal, Aiming for Five Million Connections. Brightspeed has expanded its original goal to reach 4M homes and businesses, announcing its new corporate goal of 5M connections. The company announced that its network is now available to more than 2M of those potential customers. Along with its investment in its fiber network, Brightspeed has received more than $240 million in local, state and federal broadband grants and funding, including the company’s first BEAD Program award from the state of Louisiana. These investments will help expand Brightspeed’s planned network build by nearly 121,000 locations in 14 states. Read more6. North Carolina Announces $22 Million in Broadband Grant Awards. The money comes from the state’s Completing Access to Broadband program, funded by $400 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. The new projects are set to get broadband to 10,810 locations across 14 counties. Brightspeed will be serving the lion’s share of those locations—more than 8,300—with regional provider SkyBest securing 805 and a local electric cooperative scoring 576 locations. Read more.7. Nextlink has announced 4 fiber expansions in Texas this year. Nextlink Internet, with a headquarters in Hudson Oaks, has so far in 2025 announced construction that will reach nearly 10,000 locations. Read more8. TDS to Expand Fiber Network in Rural Grant County, Wisconsin. TDS Telecommunications LLC (TDS®) has broken ground on a new fiber-optic infrastructure project to connect more than 1,200 rural Grant County, Wisconsin, addresses. TDS’ Farmer’s Telephone Company was awarded more than $1.55M by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in late 2023 to bring fiber-to-the-home connections to more than 800 Grant County addresses. TDS is investing $7.1M to complete the project and also reach approximately 400 additional addresses in the area. Read more.     Broadband Bytes is a regular feature by David Levine of UCL Swift. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD,and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions.He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift.

Apr 24, 2025

General

Broadband Bytes, March 2025 Issue 2

This edition of Broadband Bytes includes: Zayo to acquire Crown Castle’s Fiber Assets, FBA Guide to PON Splitting Architecture, FCC and regulations, Hyperscale Data Center Market, FCC moves to accelerate Copper Replacement, BEAD Implementation Status-States, States request defaulted RDOF funds, 2025 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card; Funding, Network Expansions, M&A: Hyperfiber CO Expansion, unWired CA Expansion, M&A Forecast 2025, AT&T eyes Luman Broadband Unit, Lumas expands fiber network into IN, T-Mobile Hometown Grants, Brightspeed OH Expansion, Ripple Fiber $140M Expansion MA, Blue Stream Fiber Sandoval Community FL.1. Zayo Eyes More AI Growth With $4.25B Crown Castle Deal. Zayo will acquire Crown Castle’s fiber assets, adding 90,000 route miles to its long-haul network. The company announced it will acquire Crown Castle’s fiber assets for $4.25 billion. Zayo will add to its network, connecting metro areas like New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Zayo intends to use Crown Castle’s assets to connect data centers across the country and provide enterprises with improved access to the networks. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026. Read more.2.FBA Releases Guide to Passive Optical Network Splitting. The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) announced the release of its latest resource in its Fiber 101 Series, “Introduction to Passive Optical Network Splitter Architectures,” developed by the FBA Technology Committee. The purpose of the guide is to demystify the terminology, configurations and best practices associated with PON splitter deployment. The document explores how splitter architecture choices impact fiber counts, splicing and customer connections, and a more detailed analysis of centralized versus distributed splitting architectures. Read more.3. Eliminating Regulations. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has issued a Public Notice asking for public input on eliminating regulations that create unneeded burdens or that stand in the way of the deployment, expansion, competition or technological innovation. It’s worth noting that the FCC already routinely ignores obsolete regulations, as do all regulatory agencies. While it’s cleaner to get old regulations off the books, it’s nearly as effective to not enforce old rules that no longer apply. Read more.4. Hyperscale Data Center Count Hits 1,136; US Accounts for 54% of Total Capacity. New data from Synergy Research Group shows that the number of large data centers operated by hyperscale providers increased to 1,136 at the end of 2024, having doubled over the last five years. The US accounts for over half of the total worldwide capacity, measured by MW of critical IT load, with Europe and China each accounting for about a third of the balance. Looking ahead, Synergy forecasts that it will take less than four years for total hyperscale data center capacity to double once again. Read more.5. FCC Takes Actions to Accelerate Copper Replacement. Older copper lines were fine for typical telephony but are inadequate for modern high-speed communications demands—that was the reasoning behind FCC actions, which the regulator said are designed to help ensure that providers roll out upgraded, high-speed networks to more Americans on a faster timeline. Read more.6. States Approach Readiness for Broadband Rollout, but Federal Approvals Still Pending. BEAD Implementation Status in the States. A review of State Broadband Office web pages and guidance documents suggests the following classification of where states are currently in terms of BEAD implementation stage. Read more.7. Missouri May Not Be the Only State to Request Defaulted RDOF Funds. Missouri was the first state to ask the FCC to return RDOF broadband funding awarded to providers in the state who later defaulted on their awards. But it may not be the last. Every state experienced some level of defaults in the RDOF program, which tentatively awarded $9.2 billion to cover some of the costs of deploying broadband in unserved and underserved areas. Of the $9.2 billion, nearly $3.3 billion is in default. (States argue they could do a lot with their portion of the defaulted RDOF funds and are in a better position than federal administrators to determine how to use the defaulted funds.) Read more.8. US Just Got Its Best Infrastructure Report Card, but Work is Far From Over. In 1998, the American Society of Civil Engineers put out its first report card for US infrastructure and gave it a D. Little progress was made in the subsequent years until 2021, when ASCE handed out its first overall C- grade. On March 26, 2025, ASCE released its 2025 report card and gave out its most flattering grade yet, a C. Broadband made its debut as a graded category, earning a C+. Read moreFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Construction of Fiber-Optic High-Speed Internet Networks in Two Colorado Communities Has Been Started by Missouri-Based Hyperfiber. The towns of Broomfield and Fort Lupton are the sites of the new fiber-optic network by Hyperfiber. The ISP has invested over $160 million into Colorado expansions to date. Hyperfiber hopes to achieve over 200,000 fiber passings in Colorado alone. Read more2. unWired Broadband to Bring Fiber to Gustine, California. unWired Broadband has begun construction on its new fiber internet network in Gustine, CA. This multi-million dollar project will deliver Internet speeds up to 5 Gbps and beyond to the entire City of Gustine, totaling nearly 2,500 addresses. Installations will begin in  April 2025, with construction slated to be completed in September 2025. Read more3. Is the Next Big Telecom M&A Deal on the Horizon? From Verizon’s $20 billion Frontier acquisition to T-Mobile’s fiber joint ventures with Lumos and Metronet, 2024 was quite the eventful year for telecom deals. Is more M&A on the horizon for 2025, and how will regulatory changes impact that activity? According to New Street Research, the biggest and most likely deal to surface this year is the sale of Lumen’s Mass Market business—its consumer fiber operation. Read more4. Reports: AT&T Eyeing Lumen’s Broadband Unit for $5.5B. AT&T is reportedly in talks to buy Lumen’s consumer fiber business for $5.5 billion, according to Bloomberg. While the extent of the deal is unclear at this time, the deal is the most likely telecom M&A deal on the horizon, according to a note from New Street Research. Read more.5. Lumos Expands Fiber Network into Indiana. Lumos announced its inaugural expansion into Indiana, bringing 100% Fiber Optic Internet to Clark and Floyd Counties. With this expansion, Lumos will build over 1,200 miles of 100% Fiber Optic Internet. Lumos’ fiber optic network will be available to over 81,000 addresses in the cities of Charlestown, Jeffersonville and New Albany and the towns of Sellersburg and Clarksville. Read more6. T-Mobile’s 25 New Hometown Grants Recipients to Receive Up to $50,000 Each. T-Mobile, as part of its Hometown Grants program, will be giving up to $50,000 to each of 25 recipients. The grants are being awarded to small towns and rural areas in support of local development projects intended to rejuvenate their communities. Since the start of the Hometown Grants program, T-Mobile has awarded more than $16 million in grants to 375 communities in 48 states and Puerto Rico. Read more7. Brightspeed Wins $1.5M from Ohio to Enlarge Trumbull Network. Service provider Brightspeed has been awarded $1.5 million to expand its fiber network to almost 2,400 locations in Trumbull County, Ohio. The provider now serves more than 190,000 families and businesses in Ohio. The Brightspeed award is in addition to the $12.3 million funding they received to connect almost 5,900 Ohio homes and businesses in Allen, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Knox, Mahoning, Shelby and Trumbull counties. Read more8. Ripple Fiber Invests Over $140 Million to Expand Fiber Internet Access in Massachusetts. Ripple Fiber, a fiber optic internet provider based in the Southeast, announces its plans to enter Massachusetts, marking the company’s network expansion into the Northeast. With plans to start construction this spring, beginning in Holden and West Boylston, the provider aims to begin launching service by mid-2025. The investment for the first phase of this project totals over $140 million. Read more9. California Opens Application Window to $1.86B in BEAD Funding. The state of CA is opening its BEAD application window beginning March 25 for prequalification and application submissions and ending on October 2 for submission of the final proposal to the NTIA. Read more10. Blue Stream Fiber Has Entered Into a Partnership With the Community of Sandoval in Cape Coral, Florida. The partnership, announced today on the ISP’s website, will bring Blue Stream’s fiber network to the community’s 1,425 residences. Residents can expect services to be activated by April 2026, according to Blue Stream. Read more.    Broadband Bytes is a regular feature by David Levine of UCL Swift. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD,and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions.He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift.

Apr 24, 2025

General

Broadband Bytes, March 2025 Issue 1

This edition of Broadband Bytes includes: Carr’s first 30 days at FCC, Congress lobbies to save USF, TX pauses Digital Equity Grants, OP-ED: Commerce may eliminate fiber preference in BEAD and some industry pushback, Broadband Usage Growth 4Q24, Best and worst states for fiber availability and Is Starlink’s new Residential Lite service a value?; Funding, Network Expansions, M&A: Surf Internet new fiber network IN, USDA $26M Community Connect Grant Funding 2025, IQ Fiber $50M+ Fiber expansion FL, Co-Ops have big role in AR Fiber expansion, Riverstreet Acquisitions growth in VA, Elevate acquires TDS assets in CO and Wire 3 $100M FL Fiber Expansion.1. Here’s what’s happened since Brendan Carr took over the FCC. Thus far in his first 30 days, Brendan Carr’s FCC agenda has been largely “down with DEI.” He’s already axed some prior FCC initiatives, like the proposal to ban bulk billing and efforts to combat digital discrimination. The FCC has also opened the doors for more spectrum allocation. Read more.2. Coalition lobbies Congress to save the Universal Service Fund. A coalition of organizations called the “Keep America Connected Coalition” has activated in an effort to save the Universal Service Fund. The USF funds E-Rate, allows rural health care providers to pay rates for telecommunications services similar to those in urban areas, assists low-income customers with telecommunications affordability, and provides support to certain qualifying telephone companies that serve high-cost areas. The coalition is lobbying lawmakers to enshrine the USF’s funding structure into law, hoping that if Congress legislates the fund, the USF’s constitutionality will be unquestionable. Read more.3. Texas pauses State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program. The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) announced that it has paused grants and contracts related to the federal State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program. The announcement cited the “ongoing realignment to meet the priorities of the new administration” as the reason for the move. “Given this uncertainty, the BDO wants potential applicants to avoid investing significant time and resources into preparing applications until the office receives more clarity on the future of the program from the NTIA.” Read more.4.Op-Ed: BEAD may eliminate its preference for fiber. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Commerce Department’s new leader Howard Lutnick plans to eliminate the preference for fiber under the BEAD program. Rather, BEAD may switch to a “technology neutral” stance. This means that states can award more BEAD funds to satellite-internet providers like Starlink, as well as to more fixed wireless access providers, rather than mainly to companies that lay fiber-optic cables. (While this is another writer’s opinion piece, it covers points to consider re: BEAD, and remains to be seen what actual changes may or may not occur.) Read more.5. Related to above, fiber proponents push back. Gary Bolton, the CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association says if the U.S. was able to string electricity to almost every household in the early part of the last century, surely we’re capable of bringing fiber broadband to rural households now. Drew Garner, Director of Policy Engagement at the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, said if Commerce Department moves forward with changes, it could further delay the deployment of broadband internet by a year or more because states will be required to re-run their grant programs. Read more6. Broadband usage Q4 2024. OpenVault recently published its Broadband Insights Report for the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. OpenVault is documenting the continued growth in broadband usage by U.S. households. Details on the growth can be found here. Read more.7. States show vast differences in fiber availability including top 10 states and worst 10 states. A new report from Reviews.org shows that Rhode Island is the best state for fiber availability, with the technology available to 80.19% of households. Conversely, the worst state is Alaska, with the technology available to only 9.18% of households. The information is based on data contained in the FCC National Broadband Map. The report also notes that 46% of American homes have access to fiber, compared to 82% that have access to cable internet. Read more8. Is Starlink’s new affordable broadband plan a gamechanger? SpaceX’s Starlink has entered into the affordable broadband market in the US, with the launch of its “Residential Lite” service in 15 U.S. states. While it’s cheaper than Starlink’s standard residential plan, the move is hardly a game changer for rural broadband connectivity. Residential Lite costs $80 per month (compared to the $120/month residential plan), with speeds ranging from 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps. So it’s not as fast as the standard plan which offers 150-250 Mbps speeds. Notably, Starlink said Residential Lite service will be “deprioritized” during peak hours. This means customers on the lower-cost plan may experience slower service compared to Residential subscribers when the Starlink network has a lot of users online. Though Residential Lite is marketed as a more affordable Starlink option, “no matter how you look at it $80 is still a high price,” said Recon Analytics principal Roger Entner. Read moreFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Surf Internet has completed the first phase of a fiber-optic build in Warsaw, Indiana. Surf Internet has announced the launching of a fiber-internet network in Warsaw, Indiana. The ISP, which also this month secured $175 million in new equity funding and an upsized $300 million debt facility, said work in Warsaw is part of a $4.1 million investment. “The first phase of construction is complete, making fiber internet available to 345 addresses.” Eventually, Surf plans to build out access to over 3,500 locations in Warsaw, and in the nearby community of Winona Lake. Read more.2. Community Connect Grant Program Issues NOFO for 2025. The USDA released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Community Connect Grant Program for fiscal year 2025. The USDA’s estimates that approximately $26 million in grants will be available to eligible applicants this year. The Community Connect Grant Program offers financial support to qualified applicants that will deliver broadband services at or above the grant’s specified speed to all premises in rural, economically challenged communities that lack internet access. Read more.3. IQ Fiber, a Jacksonville, Florida, based provider of fiber-optic internet service, announced network expansion into the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County. IQ Fiber’s initial investment in St. Petersburg is estimated at nearly $50 million, with further expansion planned. The company will establish a local office in St. Petersburg and expects to hire 30 to 35 local employees. Construction of the St. Petersburg and Pinellas County area network will begin this month and customers are expected to begin coming online in late 2025. Read more.4. Cooperatives playing major role in Arkansas’ ARPA-fueled fiber expansion. The Arkansas State Broadband Office—ARConnect—say they’ve now awarded more than $534 million in grants that will expand access to 130,000 locations in total, with most of the projects completed by 2030. Including matching funds, $1 billion is expected to be invested in total, bringing notable improvements to an estimated 875,000 Arkansas residents. While regional telecom monopolies saw their fair share of awards, smaller telecoms and cooperatives have been well represented in the state’s grant awards. Read more.5. RiverStreet buys two TDS Telecom properties and a Citizens Cablevision market area. RiverStreet acquired Amelia Telephone Corporation and New Castle Telephone Company from TDS Telecom. As part of the acquisition, RiverStreet also obtained the New Castle, Virginia market area from Citizens Cablevision, a subsidiary of Citizens Telephone Cooperative’s cable operations. Read more.6. Elevate to acquire TDS Telecom assets in Delta County, Colorado. Elevate, a fiber-based service provider in Delta and Montrose counties, Colorado, has signed a stock purchase agreement to acquire TDS Telecom’s operations and assets in the counties. Elevate is a subsidiary of the Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA). The assets it is acquiring serve more than 16,000 subscribers. The infrastructure includes “a collection of wireline assets, involving a combination of copper and fiber.” Read more7. Wire 3 announces $100M expansion in Lake County, Florida. Wire 3 announced its plans to bring 100% fiber optic internet service to four Lake County Florida communities through a privately-funded $100 million dollar investment in Eustis, Leesburg, Mount Dora and Tavares. Wire 3’s two-year construction process is expected to begin this spring with the first homes and businesses connected as early as summer of 2025. Read more.    Broadband Bytes is a regular feature by David Levine of UCL Swift. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, a certified BICSI RCDD,and a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions.He currently works as a Business Development Manager for UCL Swift.

Apr 24, 2025