General

Broadband Bytes, August 2025 Issue 1

BROADBAND NEWS:1. Schurz Communications to consolidate a network of fiber broadband providers. Schurz Communications, a family-owned firm with roots in newspaper publishing and broadcasting, announced the launch of a new division called Schurz Broadband Group (SBG) to consolidate its network of regional fiber broadband providers.  Overall, SBG will encompass six regional internet providers, including Antietam Broadband in Maryland, Burlington Telecom in Vermont, Hiawatha Broadband in Minnesota, Long Lines Broadband covering Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota, NKTelco in Ohio, and Orbitel Communications in Arizona. Read more.2. NTIA Relaxes Letter of Credit Rules for BEAD Recipients. Providers participating in the program will still need to submit a letter of credit from a qualifying bank. However, that bank will no longer need a Weiss rating.  Instead, the bank must be classified as “well-capitalized,” according to standards set by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Reserve, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Read more.3. Washington Insider Slams BEAD Satellite Funding Rules. Blair Levin offers numerous reasons why diverting more BEAD funding to satellite is a bad idea. “From a state perspective, it is not clear what the states providing funds to satellite will actually gain, as their residents already have access to satellite broadband.” Although BEAD grants will require satellite providers to offer equipment for free, BEAD rules don’t limit what the providers can charge for service, Levin noted. Read more.4. Bluebird Fiber’s Everstream Acquisition Gains a Key Approval. Everstream, a business-only fiber network, announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas for the sale of substantially all of its operations to Bluebird Fiber, a regional provider of fiber-based connectivity solutions for businesses. Following an auction process, Bluebird emerged as the winner with a prevailing bid of $384.6 million. Read more.5. Tariffs will hit more on FWA than Fiber. Fiber impact not as great as expected. Fixed wireless more vulnerable, said wireless exec. Read more.6. Senate Bill Would Terminate USDA’s Community Connect Grant Program. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, introduced a bill to terminate the USDA Community Connect Grant program.  Ernst’s bill would cut the program – a federal initiative that funds broadband deployment in rural, economically-challenged communities where service does not exist. The USDA states, “The Community Connect program helps rural communities extend access where broadband service is least likely to be commercially available, but where it can make a tremendous difference in the quality of life for people and businesses.” Read more.7. Louisiana’s Revised BEAD Awardees: Who Gains? Who Loses? The new Louisiana proposal calls for 80% of locations to get fiber broadband, while 9% of locations will be served by low Earth orbit satellite (LEO) service, and the remainder will be almost equally split between cable and fixed wireless technology. The results may somewhat calm fears about an enormous shift to satellite service, although we don’t know yet whether other states will see Benefit of the Bargain results like Louisiana’s.  There were no new names on the new awards list. All were on the list of awardees released in January based on the initial rules. Read more. Read more.8. Fiber Looks Strong as Virginia Sends BEAD List for Approval: Awardee Rankings. The new BEAD rules eliminate the preference for fiber broadband that was a key element of the original rules. Nevertheless, most Virginia locations (81%) will be served by fiber broadband, with 10% served by satellite, 8% by cable and 1% by fixed wireless, according to New Street Research. According to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), funding will go toward making high-speed broadband available to 133,742 locations. A total of $613.3 million will be awarded, assuming NTIA approves the recommendations. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Ezee Fiber Plans $400M Chicagoland Fiber Build. Ezee Fiber announced the expansion of its 100% fiber network into the greater Chicagoland area. The buildout will deliver Ezee Fiber’s fiber internet to residential and business customers across the Chicago metropolitan area, beginning with communities in DuPage, Cook, Lake, Kane & Will counties. Residential and business customer installations are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025. Read more.2. GoNetspeed Launches Fiber Network in NY Market. GoNetspeed, announced that residents of New Hartford can now officially sign up for 100% fiber-optic internet service. This milestone marks the official launch of New Hartford’s fully funded, $12 million fiber-optic network. Upon completion of GoNetspeed’s network, more than 9,200 New Hartford homes and businesses. Read more.3. Fiber broadband expansion SE Oklahoma. With a total investment nearing $59 million, a broadband expansion project led by the Oklahoma Broadband Office (OBO), in partnership with Pine Telephone Company, is aiming to bring high-speed, internet access to approximately 1,512 homes and businesses with fiber optic technology. This initiative, part of a broader push to close the digital divide in rural communities,  is funded by $39.7 million in federal grants complemented by $19.1 million in matching funds from Pine Telephone Company, a provider with over 110 years of service in southeastern Oklahoma. Read more.4. Paul Buyan Fiber Expansion in Minnesota’s rural Arrowhead Region. A broadband expansion in Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region has reached 65% completion in the city of Coleraine, according to a recent update by the firm behind the project, Paul Bunyan Communications.  The expansion is part of a larger initiative by Paul Bunyan Communications to extend its GigaZone fiber-optic network to over 3,000 additional locations within Itasca and St. Louis Counties throughout 2025. Overall, the project is estimated to cost around $7.5 million. Read more.5. Fidium Fiber in Maine. Fidium Fiber is expanding its all-fiber internet network in Maine. The expansion to Clifton and Dedham, as well as parts of Eddington, will bring fiber internet to more than 3,600 homes and businesses. Today, more than 385,000 Maine homes and businesses have access to Fidium, with additional connectivity coming soon across the state. Read more.6. Fidium bringing their fiber optic internet network to more than 5,000 locations in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Today, more than 466,000 combined New Hampshire and Vermont homes and businesses have access to Fidium, with more availability coming soon across both states. Read more.7. Surf Internet invests $1.2M to light up rural Fowlerville, Michigan. A $1.2 million investment from Surf Internet will fully fund the company’s coming fiber expansion into Fowlerville, Michigan.  In their countywide effort, which is partly supported by the Michigan program titled Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks (ROBIN), Surf Internet plans to reach 4,500 rural homes. The internet service provider has invested $9 million in the project, while funds from ROBIN have contributed $17 million. Read more. 8. Massachusetts Broadband Institute Awards $31.5M in Grants. The state of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) have awarded $31.5M to four broadband service providers (BSPs) to bring connectivity to more than 13,700 housing units in 60 municipalities across the state. The four BSPs winning grants are Aervivo Inc. ($10,527,014 for 6,402 housing units), Archtop Fiber LLC ($481,955 for 164 housing units), Comcast Cable Communications ($12,932,384 for 5,179 housing units), and CBN Geneva LLC ($7,606,664 for 1,514 housing units). Read more.9. WOW! To Be Sold to Investors, Go Private in $1.5B Deal. WideOpenWest (WOW!) has agreed to be taken private by DigitalBridge Group and Crestview Partners in a deal valued at $1.5 billion.  WOW! passes nearly two million residential, business, and wholesale consumers. It is active in 20 markets, primarily in the Midwest and southeast, including Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Read more.10. Wire 3’s 100% Fiber Expansion in Lake County, Florida, Now Underway. Wire 3, a Florida-based, 100% fiber optic internet provider, announced that construction is underway to connect thousands of residents and businesses in Lake County, FL. Made possible through Wire 3’s $100 million investment, the first residential and commercial customers are expected to be connected as early as Winter of 2025. With construction now active in more than 50 communities throughout Central Florida. Read more.11. Lumos will begin a major fiber expansion in 2 Ohio counties. Lumos has announced a major expansion of its fiber network in Ohio, saying it will build nearly 3,000 miles of new infrastructure across Lorain and Cuyahoga counties.  When work is complete, Lumos hopes to extend service to more than 226,000 addresses in 27 communities. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2025.  Residential customers in newly served neighborhoods will receive service under the TMobile Fiber retail brand, while Lumos will continue to market to large business customers and bulk multidwelling units. Read more.   Broadband Bytes is a weekly collection of broadband news highlights from leading industry resourcescompiled by David Levine, RCDD. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois Universityand a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions. 

Sep 03, 2025

General

UCL Swift Summer 2025 Quarterly Newsletter

 Made-In-the-USA Fiber Optic AssembliesUCL Swift is proud to expand our lineup of U.S. made connectors and assemblies.Located in Carrollton, Texas, UCL Connections manufactures fiber optic cable assemblies for the datacom and telecom industries.We provide quick and accurate custom solutions that satisfy all your connectivity needs, normally with a single order.All of our assemblies are 100% tested. Fiber optic assemblies are serialized, and test results are included with the assemblies when shipped.Built to meet the demands of FTTH and other projects requiring American-made products, these solutions are ideal for installers and contractors who need consistent performance and a trusted supply chain. Explore Our Capabilities >Broadband or Enterprise? There's a KF4-HDC for that.Our new KF4A-HDC splicer just got even more versatile.Now available in two application-specific kits: Broadband (-BB) for FTTH projects and Enterprise (-ENT) for data center builds, this all-in-one solution offers unmatched flexibility for field technicians.The KF4A-HDC delivers premium performance even in tight spaces like utility poles or crowded equipment racks. The thermal stripper ensures damage-free fiber prep, and it’s fully compatible with fusion splice-on connectors, including hardened OptiTap® termination.Backed by an industry-leading 3-year warranty with two free checkups, this splicer is built for long-term reliability.Choose the kit that fits your network and take your splicing to the next level.Learn More > “We were also amazed at how quickly our technicians mastered the KF4A-HDC fusion splicers from UCL Swift. Its compact size and robust traveling case are definitely technician-friendly. UCL Swift provided training for all our technicians, and within hours of being handed the fusion splicers, they were ready to hit the streets. It was amazing!”–Matt FennellManager of Fiber ServicesTombigbee Fiber, LLCRead Full Testimonial >Staff HighlightsUCL Connections is excited to introduce our newest team member, Jennie Clewis!Jennie brings a strong background in client relations, business operations and service-driven support. Having worked for ACI in the past, Jennie is sure to acclimate quickly to UCL Connections and its expanded product portfolio.Her experience across diverse customer-facing roles gives her a unique ability to anticipate client needs and provide clear, reliable solutions. Her focus at UCL Connections is helping businesses streamline their fiber and copper assembly sourcing, with no minimums, quick turnaround times and dependable communication every step.ㅤOutside of work, Jennie is a dedicated mom and the proud supporter of her son, a world-traveling elite Ninja/OCR athlete—a role that reflects her natural energy, persistence and adaptability. Trade Show Recap 2025Thank you to all of our industry partners, customers, and fellow attendees who made this season of trade shows a success.TCEI Expo | April 1-3, 2025SCTE, CLC | April 8-10, 2025Fiber Connect | June 1-4, 2025ISE EXPO | July 29-31, 2025Texas Association of Broadcasters | August 6-7, 2025BICSI Beyond | August 24-28, 2025 As we wrap up another successful quarter, I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to our dedicated team, valued partners, and loyal customers. Your trust and collaboration continue to drive our progress, and we’re excited for the opportunities that lie ahead in the second half of 2025.If you’re planning your next fiber optic project, I encourage you to connect with UCL Swift and UCL Connections. Together, we’re committed to delivering smarter, more sustainable solutions for enterprise and broadband networks—and building the future of connectivity.

Sep 02, 2025

General

Broadband Bytes, July 2025 Issue 2

BROADBAND NEWS1. Hilliary Communications to Acquire TDS Telecom’s Oklahoma Holdings. Hilliary Communications’ pending acquisition of TDS Telecom’s network in OK would add almost 35,000 addresses to its footprint, many of which are in rural locations. Upgrade planning will immediately begin, including FTTH networks, modernization of infrastructure, and “future-ready” broadband and communications services. This is Hilliary Communications’ eighth acquisition of independent or regional assets since 2016. The company serves 22 counties in Oklahoma, Texas, and Iowa and is headquartered in Medicine Park, Oklahoma. It is in the midst of investing more than $250 million in the three states. Read more2. Arielle Roth confirmed to lead up NTIA by Senate vote. With a 52-52 vote along party lines, Arielle Roth has been confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. With the role, Roth will also serve as Administrator of the NTIA. The agency is tasked with overseeing the government’s $42.45 billion BEAD Program. Read more3. Fiber broadband industry celebrating the passage of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.” The bill allows providers to deduct 100 percent of equipment purchases and capital expenditures in the deployment year—a significant increase from the prior 40 percent deduction rate spread over many years. Such a change is expected to unlock billions in freed-up cash for providers, setting the stage for potentially substantial infrastructure growth. Read more4. NTIA Approves Updated BEAD Initial Proposals from All 56 States and Territories. With the NTIA approval, every state was now able to conduct a “Benefit of the Bargain” round that will determine which internet-service providers receive funds. States have until September 4, 2025, to submit a final proposal that includes the results of at least one “Benefit of the Bargain” round. The NTIA also released a dashboard showing each state and territory’s BEAD progress. According to that dashboard, 48 states and territories have started a “Benefit of the Bargain” round. Read more5. Starlink May Only Meet Federal Standards in Most Rural Areas. Starlink may only meet federal broadband speed requirements in areas with extremely low population density, according to a new technical analysis. Starlink may not be able to meet the NTIA’s required 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload speed threshold “wherever the number of locations subscribing to the service is greater than 6 households per square mile within a beam’s coverage area.” If true, that would preclude Starlink from receiving funding for all but the most rural of locations through the NTIA’s $42.45 million BEAD program. Read more6. California lawmaker drops push for affordable broadband. California Assemblymember Tasha Boerner has dropped her proposal to mandate affordable broadband to low-income subscribers. Her decision reportedly came after Trump Administration officials told her California could lose access to BEAD funds as a result. Read more7. The Future of ReConnect. The Senate Appropriations Committee recently approved the fiscal year 2026 budget for the Department of Agriculture. Buried within that budget is $100 million dollars for new ReConnect loans or grants. The $100 million is a preliminary number, but it’s already lower than previous annual allocations to the program. ReConnect has been a popular program, particularly with cooperatives and small telcos. ReConnect was launched in December 2018 by Congress with an initial budget of $600 million. Additional funds continue to be allocated, including $550 million in 2020 and $1.15 billion in 2021. The USDA is still sitting on $980 million of remaining appropriated funds, but is also sitting on $3 million in funding requests. The fundamental challenge is that the FCC is likely to declare soon that the rural broadband gap has been solved (with BEAD) and every rural home in the country is able to buy adequate broadband. The USDA may not be able to overcome that presumption. Read more8. Construction company Tilson calls out AT&T’s Gigapower in a lawsuit. Network construction company Tilson is suing AT&T’s Gigapower, alleging it owes Tilson employees more than $200 million in payments for fiber work. Tilson filed a lawsuit on July 24th, claiming Gigapower terminated its contract “for convenience,” forcing Tilson to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to try to recoup its finances. Gigapower initially enlisted Tilson in 2022 to construct fiber networks that cost approximately $600 million in Nevada and Arizona—a contract that made Gigapower Tilson’s largest customer. Read more9. How the Big 3 think about their fiber growth strategy. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon collectively want to deploy fiber to about 119M U.S. locations. Read more10. Satellite isn’t a better replacement for fiber – here’s why. Satellite broadband coverage is hindered by capacity and latency limitations. Consumer satellite internet costs remain high compared to fiber. Read moreFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Tillman Fiber expands FL presence with T-Mobile Fiber partnership. Building on their established presence in St. Petersburg and Lakeland, Tillman Fiber has launched fiber-internet services in several new locations across Florida.  As a result, residents in Northport, Kissimmee, Deltona, and Hernando County can connect to Tillman Fiber’s network through T-Mobile Fiber, with which Tillman Fiber has a partnership. Read more2. Glo Fiber announces fiber expansion in York County, PA. Glo Fiber, a broadband service powered by Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (Shentel), has announced plans to extend its FTTH internet services to three communities in York County, Pennsylvania: Hallam Borough, Hellam Township, and Wrightsville Borough. This latest expansion will connect over 2,000 additional homes and businesses to Glo Fiber’s all-fiber network, complementing the 27,000 locations already served within the county. Engineering activities are reportedly in progress, with the build-out expected to be completed by 2026. Read more3. Gateway Fiber, WANRack, and KWIKOM to Unify Under Gateway Fiber Name. Gateway Fiber announced that the combined company formed through its merger with E-Rate provider WANRack and consumer broadband company KWIKOM will operate under the Gateway Fiber name. Beginning immediately, all Gateway Fiber and KWIKOM residential and business fiber internet services will be offered exclusively under the Gateway Fiber brand. WANRack’s E-Rate educational services will continue under the name “WANRack powered by Gateway Fiber” through the end of 2025, with a full transition to the Gateway Fiber brand expected in 2026. Read more4. Blue Owl Capital to Acquire FL Network Provider South Reach Networks. Intermetro Fiber, a Florida infrastructure provider that does business as South Reach Networks (SRN), has been acquired by Blue Owl Capital’s Digital Infrastructure fund.  SRN provides dark and lit fiber infrastructure in a 370-mile network from Jacksonville to Miami. Read more5. Astound Announces $81M Investment for Northeast Pennsylvania Fiber. Once complete, the project will provide more than 315,000 homes and nearly 25,000 area businesses with access to Astound’s fiber network. Read more6. Greenlight Networks to Expand to 16K More Homes in Orange County, New York. Greenlight Networks is expanding upon its commitment to Orange County, bringing next-generation FTTH connectivity to more Hudson Valley neighborhoods, businesses, and community organizations. Greenlight’s current build plan includes an additional investment of more than $24 million into the county as it increases access to an additional 16,200 homes over the next 12 months. Read more7. Spectrum’s broadband expansion reaches an additional 800 homes and businesses in Ottawa County, MI. Spectrum has recently expanded its broadband services and is now offering gigabit internet to nearly 800 additional homes and small businesses in Ottawa County, MI. The expansion covers areas such as Chester, Crockery, Grand Haven, and Polkton and Wright townships. The effort is part of Spectrum’s wider multi-year rural construction initiative, backed by over $7 billion in private investment. The initiative aims to roll out more than 100,000 miles of new fiber-optic network infrastructure. Read more8. Vero Fiber Makes Another Acquisition: Ting Assets in the Southwest. Vero Fiber, a subsidiary of Clearnetworx, has officially acquired fiber infrastructure from Ting across key portions of Montezuma and La Plata counties, Colorado, and San Juan County, New Mexico. The acquisition of Ting infrastructure continues Vero Fiber’s recent history of acquisitions. In June, Vero Fiber announced it would acquire BendTel, Inc., a locally owned and operated broadband provider in Central Oregon. Read more9. Vero Fiber to roll out FTTH services in Arcata, CA. Vero Fiber is preparing to introduce its FTTH internet services in Arcata, California, with construction having started in May and initial customer connection expected in summer 2025. The network is entirely fiber optic. Read more10. 123NET Completes Southfield-to-Lansing Michigan Fiber Route. A new 90-mile underground fiber route connecting Southfield to Lansing is now complete, delivering enhanced speed, redundancy, and improved connectivity across southeast and mid-Michigan. This privately funded, multi-million-dollar project was developed by three Michigan-based telecommunications leaders: 123NET, DayStarr Communications, and Peninsula Fiber Network (PFN). Read more   Broadband Bytes is a weekly collection of broadband news highlights from leading industry resourcescompiled by David Levine, RCDD. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois Universityand a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions. 

Aug 19, 2025

General

Broadband Bytes, July 2025 Issue 1

BROADBAND NEWS1. USF gets some good news from the Supreme Court—now what? The Supreme Court has finally ruled to uphold the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund (USF), meaning the $8 billion subsidy program lives to fight another day. The Court on Friday rejected the Fifth Circuit’s ruling that the USF funding mechanism violates Congress’s nondelegation doctrine—the principle that Congress can’t delegate legislative powers (e.g., taxation) to other entities. Read more2. FWA could face a challenge in the Buy America rules. BEAD opens doors for wireless providers, but they still need to deal with Buy America regs. Fixed wireless access (FWA) vendors produce equipment all over the place.  The Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act, which mandates that certain broadband network components, construction materials, and other related equipment must be made in the U.S., could “be an issue for WISPs,” said CCG Consulting President Doug Dawson. WISPS are wireless internet service providers that commonly use fixed wireless access (FWA) technology. Read more3. Senate Scraps AI Moratorium. The Senate’s reconciliation bill could throw a wrench into BEAD disbursements. States may have to pick and choose between enacting AI laws or getting their BEAD allocations. The provision includes an additional $500M in BEAD money. Read more4. NTIA Locks Additions to Broadband Maps Under BEAD. The NTIA released a new FAQ designed to “assist recipients in better understanding the BEAD Program.” That FAQ states that they are not allowed “to add new BSLs [Broadband Serviceable Locations] from Fabric V6.” States are only allowed to use Fabric V6 to remove locations that no longer exist or that are now reported as being served by an unsubsidized provider. Read more5. New Jersey Launches $40M Broadband Expansion. The NJ Board of Public Utilities announced the launch of a $40 million effort to extend high-speed internet service to remote and underserved areas of the state.  The program, entitled New Jersey’s Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Equity, will prioritize fiber-optic infrastructure offering at least 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) speeds. Brightspeed alone expects to receive $9.8 million. Brightspeed plans to deploy fiber to an estimated 3,315 locations, including 1,113 businesses, 2,172 homes, and 30 community anchor institutions. Read more6. FCC Chair Carr Outlines Build America Agenda in First Major Policy Speech. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr spoke in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in what the FCC’s called the first major policy speech of his chairmanship. Carr’s plan is a mix of regulatory reforms combined with ideas to streamline internal FCC operations and encourage network construction. Read more7. Court Vacates FTC’s Click-to-Cancel Rule. Federal regulations designed to make it easy to cancel a cable TV bill just got tossed out in court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in St. Louis vacated the FTC’s “click-to-cancel” rule just days before it was set to take effect. The Court found that the FTC failed to conduct a preliminary regulatory analysis of the rule’s costs and benefits – a required step for rules whose annual impact on the U.S. economy exceeds $100 million. Read more8. State-by-State “Benefit of the Bargain” Round BEAD Update. The NTIA announced changes to the BEAD program on June 6, 2025, leaving states scrambling to gather new applications that meet updated criteria and begin their “Benefit of the Bargain” funding rounds. The new deadline for states to submit their proposals is Sept. 4, 2025. Because of the tight turnaround, most states are closing their application windows to applicants before the end of July. Telecompetitor details, the BEAD Benefit of the Bargain funding round for each state. Read moreFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. EPC acquires Louisiana-based Delta Fiber. EPC, a broadband construction firm, has announced its acquisition of Delta Fiber, a Louisiana-based network engineering company. According to EPC, Delta Fiber will be maintained as a wholly owned separate operating company from EPC. Read more2. Greenlight Networks to Acquire Loop Internet. Greenlight Networks announced their intention to acquire Loop Internet, a locally owned and operated fiber internet provider headquartered in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The transaction is expected to close later this year, pending regulatory approval. Read more3. Ezee Fiber to Acquire Houston’s Tachus Fiber Internet. Texas-based service provider Ezee Fiber says that it has agreed to acquire Tachus Fiber Internet from Crosstimbers Capital Group. Both providers are active in the Houston, Texas area. Ezee Fiber says that the acquisition of Tachus, will strengthen its footprint in the communities north of the city. The Tachus fiber network, which is completely underground, has more than 60,000 residential and business subscribers. Read more4. Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant Program NOFA #009 Announced. The Iowa Department of Management, Division of Information Technology (DOM DoIT) released a new broadband grant opportunity for internet service providers. $400,000,000 is available through the Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant Program with funding from the BEAD fund administered by the NTIA. NTIA recently issued new guidance to the BEAD program that made changes to the program requirements and obligated states to complete the subrecipient selection process within 90 days. DOM DoIT has updated Iowa’s program documentation and mapping to conform to the new guidelines and issued this NOFA as quickly as possible. Read more5. Accelecom and Vyve Partner for Georgia Fiber Expansion. Accelecom announced that its fiber solutions and network will be used by Vyve Broadband to expand the provider’s ongoing expansion in Georgia. Vyve Broadband will use the Accelecom fiber network to upgrade its backbone in the state, which is expected to enable the company to offer high-speed broadband across the 14 markets it serves in the state. Accelecom announced that its fiber solutions and network will be used by Vyve Broadband to expand the provider’s ongoing expansion in Georgia. Read more6. Mediacom Communications Announces Plan to Reach 1M Homes by 2026. Mediacom Communications announced the company plans to bring fiber broadband services to one million homes and businesses by the end of 2026. Mediacom expects to offer enhanced broadband services to over 500,000 households by the end of 2025. Read more7. AT&T Feeds Fiber Frenzy Via Prime Fiber Build. Prime Fiber has begun construction of an open access network in Sun City, Arizona that will be used by AT&T.  Prime Fiber is one of four open access network operators with whom AT&T inked deals back in September. The others are Boldyn Networks, Digital Infrastructure Group, and Ubiquity. Read more   Broadband Bytes is a weekly collection of broadband news highlights from leading industry resourcescompiled by David Levine, RCDD. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois Universityand a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions. 

Aug 19, 2025

General

Broadband Bytes, June 2025 Issue 2

BROADBAND NEWS:1. Starlink Shows Gains in Speed Test Report. (But still short of FCC requirements for most users). Ookla’s speed test report for 1Q 2025 showed some gains in terms of median speeds, but also some deficiencies for users of the Starlink network. Ookla reported that Starlink customers had median download speeds of 104.71 Mbps in the Q1 2025, nearly double the 53.95 Mbps speed since 3Q 2022. Upload speeds nearly doubled as well, increasing from 7.50 Mbps in the third quarter of 2022 and to 14.84 Mbps in the first quarter of 2025. However, only 17.4% of U.S. Starlink Speedtest users nationwide were able to achieve broadband speeds that meet the FCC’s minimum requirement for broadband of 100 Mbps download speeds and 20 Mbps upload speed. Read more2. Fiber vendors will keep on moving despite new BEAD rules. Despite eyeing other opportunities, fiber vendors haven’t given up on BEAD. Big fiber operators will probably reapply and snag areas from small ISPs that drop out. Fiber onshoring is also paying off amid tariff uncertainty. Read more3. New Senate proposal ties BEAD money to AI regulation. The Senate’s reconciliation bill could throw a wrench into BEAD disbursements. States may have to pick and choose between enacting AI laws or getting their BEAD allocations. The provision includes an additional $500M in BEAD money. Read more4. California doubles down on the Verizon/Frontier deal over DEI. Verizon faces California scrutiny over its DEI reversal. California could block the Frontier deal if it finds the merger at odds with state law. Frontier also happens to be California’s second-largest carrier of last resort (COLR). Read more5. Group of 140 Orgs Urge Lutnick to Restore Digital Equity Funding. A group of 140 organizations joined those urging the Commerce Department to reinstate billions in Digital Equity Act funding. “Reinstating these funds is a common-sense, fiscally smart, pro-growth decision that ensures our workforce and businesses remain competitive,” the groups wrote in a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Read more6. Vermont Broadband Director Doesn’t Expect BEAD Changes to Undo Fiber Dominance. Christine Hallquist, executive director of the Vermont broadband office, said that BEAD changes won’t be tremendously disruptive—at least not in Vermont.  One reason is that the rules that the state previously established for BEAD enabled applicants to specify any technology. Hallquist expected to award a large portion of the money for fiber, though—and she doesn’t expect that to change dramatically, despite the new rules. “We clearly had enough money to get to every address, including 95% with fiber and the rest with alternative technology,” Hallquist said. Read moreFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Brightspeed Confirms North Carolina Grants. NC Governor Josh Stein announced more than $58 million in Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program projects to connect 10,076 households and businesses in 26 North Carolina counties to high-speed internet. This announcement will help Brightspeed extend its fiber network in the state. Between these grants, and the company’s own investment, Brightspeed is bringing its fiber-enabled network to nearly 909,000 locations in its home state. Read more2. Nextlink Internet has begun network construction in several Texas communities. New fiber network construction by Nextlink Internet has kicked off in several Texas communities. Nextlink said network construction had begun in Brenham, Canton, and Falls County. The largest of the project’s announced Tuesday was in Brenham, where the ISP plans to deliver Nextlink Fiber access to 9,000 homes and business. Read more3. Archtop Fiber breaks ground on fiber project in Sullivan County NY. Archtop Fiber is getting to work within New York State’s rural Sullivan County with hopes to serve over 22,000 addresses within the county once work is complete. The effort will see approximately 220 miles of route fiber deployed. The program, overseen by Empire State Development, awarded nearly $30 million to Sullivan County for efforts to cross the county’s digital divide. Read more4. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners to Acquire Hotwire. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners announced a deal to acquire Hotwire Communications from its parent company, Blackstone. Hotwire Communications is a broadband service provider serving Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners’ acquisition of Hotwire Communications is not the company’s first in recent years. In 2019, the firm acquired Cincinnati Bell for approximately $2.6 billion, including debt. Read more5. Ripple Fiber breaks ground in Cook County, Illinois expansion effort. Ripple Fiber, a Charlotte-based provider of high-speed fiber internet services, announced plans for its expansion into Illinois as construction begins in Cook County. The initial $104 million planned project kicks off in Elk Grove Village, to be followed by more areas to be announced in due course within the state. Ripple Fiber anticipates the first customers to gain access to to its fiber network by the end of this summer. Read more6. Greenlight Networks Investing $100M in Baltimore Fiber. Greenlight Networks says that its $100 million investment in fiber infrastructure in Baltimore will serve its first customers in September. Greenlight Networks wants to become a fixture in Baltimore and says that it is seeking a permanent office location in the city to serve as its regional hub. It also says that it will hire locally for construction crews, network, and installation technicians, and community outreach representatives. Read more7. Light Source Communications Completes Dark Fiber Route in Kansas City. Light Source Communications (LSC), a leading provider of dark fiber networks, announces it has completed work on a new dark fiber network in Kansas City, Mo.  The 35-mile metro ring already has a major hyperscaler as the anchor tenant, with more on the way, as well as connections to four data centers so far. The Kansas City route is the first of LSC’s four new network builds to be completed this year, with projects in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tulsa, Okla. also on track to be finished in 2025. Read more8. Astound begins fiber network construction in Orland Park, Illinois. Astound announced that it has started work on a $34 million fiber optic network construction project to bring high-speed internet connectivity to residents and businesses in Orland Park, IL and nearby areas. Once complete, the project will provide more than 19,000 homes and nearly 4,000 area businesses with access to Astound’s fiber network. Read more9. Intrepid Fiber Upsizes Credit Facility to $425M for Fiber Expansion. Intrepid Fiber Networks, announced that it has increased the capacity of its  senior secured credit facility to $425M. The upsized facility, arranged by Societe Generale, provides additional liquidity to accelerate Intrepid’s network deployments and pursue strategic growth opportunities across the United States. 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. 

Aug 09, 2025

General

Broadband Bytes, June 2025 Issue 1

BROADBAND NEWS:1. Shut Down the FCC? Thomas Lenard of the Technology Policy Institute wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal suggesting that it is time to shut down the FCC. The Technology Policy Institute is a well-regarded think tank that concentrates on advancing knowledge to inform policymakers. The FCC recently initiated the Delete, Delete, Delete effort that asked the industry and the public if there are unneeded FCC regulations that should be taken off the books. The response was so overwhelming that if every suggestion was implemented there would be little left of the agency. If the FCC disappeared tomorrow, it would create a void in a few areas. Mr. Leonard suggests the useful functions could be moved to other agencies. Read more2. Why fiber construction is a hot mess right now—Panel Comments from Fiber Connect. Fiber builds are more construction than tech, according to a Fiber Connect panel. Operators often need multiple permits as they deal with pole attachment issues. Knowing the right people—and some automation—can make the difference. Read more3. Fiber Broadband Association Announces New All-Fiber Certified Providers. The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) announced a continued surge in members achieving its prestigious All Fiber Certification. This certification recognizes network operators that demonstrate a strategic commitment to future-ready broadband by deploying fiber optic infrastructure across at least 90% of their networks. Read more4. What you need to know about the new BEAD rules. The NTIA has officially rewritten the rules of the $42.5 billion BEAD program, essentially forcing states back to square one on their plans. As anticipated, the new notice of funding opportunity nixed the BEAD preference for end-to-end fiber. The notice now defines a “priority broadband project” as one that provides service at speeds of no less than 100/20 Mbps with latency less than or equal to 100 milliseconds.  Further, NTIA said it “hereby rescinds all Final Proposal approvals that occurred prior to the publication of this Notice.” This includes proposals from Louisiana, Nevada and Delaware, the states that have already announced which providers will receive BEAD funding.  All states and territories have 90 days to comply with the new NOFO, which also requires them to conduct at least one additional subgrantee selection round (dubbed “Benefit of the Bargain”) to ensure the lowest-cost broadband option, “regardless of technology employed.” Read more5. What Does Tech-Neutrality Mean for BEAD? Fiber may still thrive in tech-neutral BEAD. Other technologies besides fiber often fail to meet Priority Broadband Project requirements. After another round of bidding, under new rules, where will BEAD end up? Will the fiber networks the public has been expecting emerge or will they be replaced—to a large extent—by fixed wireless networks and satellite? A hopeful scenario is that fiber will continue to dominate as in the Biden-era BEAD.  State plans will change slightly, primarily at the margins and hybrid technology networks will become more common, with “alternative” technology choices appearing in geographically remote / expensive to serve (with any technology) locations. Read more6. More shake-up at FCC. Republican FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington announced on 6/4/25 that he is leaving the FCC at the end of this week, meaning two of the four current commissioners are headed for the door. Democrat Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, who announced his departure in March, also said he’s leaving at the end of the week. That leaves Republican Chairman Brendan Carr and Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez as the sole commissioners. The FCC requires a three-person quorum to take certain actions, but Carr doesn’t need a quorum for much of what he wants to accomplish, so it’s essentially a one-man show. Read more7. BEAD and State Broadband Offices. This last month has been massively disappointing for SBOs. The industry has talked about solving the digital divide for at least twenty years and SBOs finally had a chance to do something about it. The Digital Equity grants would not solely solve the digital divide, but SBOs were working to create sustainable programs that would outlive the influx of initial funding. This all went for naught when the grant program was completely killed. The revised BEAD grants are nothing more than a one-round RDOF auction by State, where the ISP that asks for the least amount of funding wins. Read moreFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Utopia Fiber finishes Bountiful UT build. Utopia Fiber finishes its open access network in Bountiful, Utah. In the beginning of the project, dark money groups fought it. The city of Bountiful owns the network, which it paid for through a bond. The fiber network now passes 16,500 addresses. Read more2. ImOn Communications to Acquire Danville Telecom in Iowa Deal. In a deal between Iowa-based providers, ImOn Communications is acquiring Danville Telecom. Danville, which traces its roots to 1901, serves Henry, Des Moines and Lee counties. The company provides all-fiber networks to residential and business customers in Danville and Wever. ImOn said it would deploy infrastructure in five communities in the southeast region of the state. The ImOn acquisition of Danville Telecom’s fiber assets will enable it to more rapidly bring service that area. Read more3. Vero Fiber to Acquire BendTel, bolstering Central Oregon Fiber Network. Vero Broadband, LLC, operating as Vero Fiber (Vero), announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire BendTel, Inc., a locally-owned and operated telecom provider that has served central Oregon for more than two decades. This acquisition complements Vero’s ongoing organic expansion in Central Oregon. Read more4. Midco signs purchase agreement to acquire SCI Broadband. Midco has signed an asset purchase agreement to acquire Savage Communications Inc. (SCI) Broadband. The acquisition will help Midco serve more customers in Minnesota and achieve its ‘Fiber Forward’ goal. SCI Broadband was founded in 1984. SCI serves nearly 12,000 data customers in central, eastern and northeastern Minnesota. By the end of this year, SCI will reach nearly 28,000 passings. Read more5. Kansas Announces Groundbreaking of $43M Freestate Middle-Mile Network. Governor Laura Kelly announced that the Freestate Middle Mile Network, a program aimed to close digital gaps across the state, will officially break ground this month. The project is funded by a nearly $43 million federal grant from the NTIA. The Freestate Network will allow providers to connect Kansas communities by enabling high-speed internet infrastructure for residents and businesses across Kansas. Read more6. Ripple Fiber Expands in NC with BridgeNET Fiber Acquisition. NC based fiber provider Ripple Fiber has acquired BridgeNET Fiber to expand into Statesville, where the acquired company is headquartered. Ripple Fiber expects to add 18,000 passings. This is not the first time Ripple Fiber has acquired assets in NC. Last October, the company acquired the assets of Cloudwyze, which extended its operation to Harnett, Martin and Nash counties. Read more7.  Intrepid Fiber and ALLO Fiber Break Ground on Frederick, Colorado Network. Intrepid Fiber Networks, in partnership with ALLO Fiber, held a groundbreaking event in Frederick, Colorado, announcing the beginning of its network deployment to over 5,400 homes and businesses across the town. Engineering, permitting and construction in Frederick has already begun and full network completion is expected in early 2027. 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.

Aug 09, 2025