General

Broadband Bytes, January 2026 Issue 2

BROADBAND NEWS:1. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Awards. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Benefit of the Bargain Provisional Awards.  Last updated: Thursday, January 27, 2026, 8:10 am Pacific time. Read more.2. Pew Analysis Lists Potential BEAD Roadblocks After Distribution of Funds. The Pew Charitable Trusts examined factors that could cause future delays in BEAD project completions. The legislation authorizing BEAD gives states and subgrantees just four years after distribution to finish construction. Federal and state officials will have to work together to streamline permitting issues during construction preparation. However, the Pew analysis notes that NTIA has concerns about whether federal agencies have the staffing required to meet the likely upturn in permitting requests BEAD will cause. The analysis also addresses the ongoing controversy over BEAD non-deployment funding. Read more.3. Leveraging Custom Connectivity to Scale Underground Networks. The partnership between LiveOak and UCL Swift does more than just connect homes. It streamlines the entire business model. Based in Niceville, Florida, the ISP has committed to building a 100% underground fiber network across Florida and Georgia. The industry standard has long relied on pre-terminated cable assemblies, but in a distributed split system. These “one-size-fits-all” solutions create a “slack” problem. To solve this, LiveOak transitioned to a “cut-to-length” strategy powered by UCL Swift North America.  By utilizing the KF4A-HDC All-In-One fusion splicer and UCL Swift’s 8145 flat drop cables, technicians now pull the exact length of cable needed for each unique residence—averaging 300 feet—and splice on the connectors in the field.  By terminating the cable on-site, LiveOak eliminated cable waste and moved to smaller, more cost-effective underground enclosures. Beyond the hardware, the shift optimized LiveOak’s most valuable resource: its workforce. Read more.4. Latest BEAD Approvals Represent Lots of Delay, Few Changes. With about three-quarters of all final proposals for the BEAD Program now approved, it appears so far that the yearlong enforced review and delay saved $462,305,075. That’s just over 1 percent of the original BEAD appropriation of $42.45 billion. Read more.5. Survey: 2026 Fiber Deployment Costs to Rise Again. Fiber deployment costs rose in 2025, and they are expected to increase again this year, according to the latest annual report from the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) and Cartesian. 92% of survey respondents said they faced higher deployment costs last year, with nearly one-third saying those costs were “significantly” higher. Labor and materials were the main culprits. These trends are expected to continue into 2026, but perhaps not as sharply. Read more.6. FCC Changes to Lifeline Could Raise Costs. Households eligible for the government’s Lifeline program stand to lose up to $9.25 per month, and as much as $34.25 per month on Tribal lands, if changes to the program are passed next month. That’s according to FCC Commissioner Ana M. Gomez, who released a statement calling the proposed changes “especially shortsighted” given high costs of living and the recent lapse of the Affordable Connectivity Program. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the proposed changes will combat waste, fraud, and abuse. Read more here and here.7. The Value of Broadband to a Community. Bento J Lobo, PH.D, of the University of Chattanooga, authored a report, From Gig City to Quantum City: The Value of Fiber Optic Infrastructure in Hamilton County, TN 2011-2035, that quantifies the benefit of the citywide municipal fiber network to the City. The fiber network is operated by EPB, the electric and fiber utility owned by the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The utility serves just under 200,000 homes and businesses. EPB began offering communications services to the business community in 2000. The utility began offering gigabit broadband to residents in 2010. The study concludes that the fiber network has brought $5.3 billion in value to Hamilton County and Chattanooga between 2011 and 2025. Lobo also says that the fiber network has created over 10,000 jobs during that time. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. ImOn Communications Announces Completion of Cedar Rapids, Iowa Fiber Upgrade. ImOn Communications is completing the transformation of its Cedar Rapids-area network to 100% fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) Internet. The upgrade replaces ImOn’s remaining hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) infrastructure.  ImOn has already deployed FTTH Internet across most of the Cedar Rapids metro. This final phase ensures every remaining neighborhood in Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha has access to FTTH Internet by replacing the final stretch of coaxial cable with fiber optic technology. Read more.2. New York Makes $36M in Broadband Grants Available Through ConnectALL MIP. New York’s Municipal Infrastructure Program (MIP) request for applications has reopened and is making as much as $36 million available through the ConnectALL broadband office. Applications will be accepted through the end of April. Projects must be completed by the end of the year. To date, MIP has provided $268 million in funding to projects in 24 counties. The program will lay more than 2,300 miles of new fiber infrastructure and create 68 wireless hubs. The projects will serve more than 96,000 homes and businesses. Read more.3. California Awards $21M in Last-Mile Broadband Funding. Four grants approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) from its Last Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) will provide as much as $21 million in broadband funding to Contra Costa, Inyo, and Monterey counties. The California broadband funding will expand broadband access to 1,752 locations. In all, they will impact approximately 64,000 households, small businesses, and community institutions. Read more.4. Ripple Fiber Kicks Off Construction in Ocean Shores, Washington. Ripple Fiber has begun construction in Washington with a 126-mile fiber build in Ocean Shores, the first city in the state to break ground. This deployment marks the initial phase of the provider’s broader $250 million investment to deliver fiber internet to more than 200,000 homes and businesses across Grays Harbor County and King County. Ripple Fiber anticipates launching service to its first Washington customers within the first quarter of 2026. Read more.5. Lightcurve Begins Fiber Network Construction in Selah, Washington. Lightcurve announced the start of construction on a new fiber network in Selah, Washington.  The new network will serve approximately 2,900 locations across Selah.  Lightcurve also recently announced the start of new fiber network builds across Central Washington, including Thorp and Edgemont. Read more.6. GoNetspeed Invests $1.6M in Manchester, Connecticut Network Expansion. GoNetspeed, is investing more than $1.6 million to expand its 100% fiber-optic network in Manchester. Construction is already underway, and once complete, the expansion will bring fiber service to more than 5,000 additional homes and businesses. This latest investment increases GoNetspeed’s total commitment to Manchester to $8.2 million. Read more.7. Fatbeam Fiber Announces Network Expansion to Federal Way, Washington. Fatbeam Fiber announced the launch and expansion of its Fiber to the Home service to Federal Way, Washington. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2026. For more than 15 years, Fatbeam has delivered connectivity to schools and businesses across the Northwest. Now, that same high-performance fiber network is coming directly to Federal Way homes. 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. 

Feb 11, 2026

General

Broadband Bytes, January 2026 Issue 1

BROADBAND NEWS:1. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Benefit of the Bargain Provisional Awards. Last updated: Thursday January 8, 2026, 12:45 pm Pacific time. Read more.2. Broadband M&A 2025: Summary by Telecompetitor. Almost all last year’s broadband mergers and acquisitions fell into one of two categories. Major providers such as T-Mobile, Verizon, Charter, and Cox made strategic broadband M&A deals. And private equity firms invested in companies pursuing high-speed broadband builds. Here is a summary of most of them by Telecompetitor. Read more.3. Dated 1-6-2026: Starlink offers free internet in Venezuela. Starlink has announced that they will provide free internet to users in Venezuela until February 3. The announcement comes in the wake of the U.S. military’s capture and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Since the operation to capture Maduro, President Donald Trump has repeatedly affirmed that the U.S. is in charge of Venezuela. Starlink’s announcement comes as Trump and Musk were pictured dining together recently at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Read more.4. Some Hope for Non-deployment Funds? There is still some hope that states will see some of the BEAD non-deployment funds but the issue is far from settled.  In early November, Arielle Roth (Asst. Sec of Commerce for Communications and Information) characterized the nondeployment funds as savings in a speech made to the Hudson Institute, which signaled that NTIA didn’t want to send the money to States. However, in a forum at the Free State Foundation on December 2, Roth said she was “operating under the assumption that the states will get to use their BEAD savings. But again, nothing has been finalized.” She also said in that forum that “any spending must produce real, measurable value, not duplicate investment the private sector is already making.” Read more.5. 2025 Fiber Gains, 2026 Growth. In 2025, the fiber industry set another record for growth, hitting 11.8 million homes passed according to the latest FBA research conducted by RVA Market Research & Consulting. Total broadband passings have reached nearly 100 million homes in the US when you include homes with more than one passing. Taking out the multiple-passings, there are 84.6 million unique addresses that have fiber. Nationwide, fiber now passes over 60% of U.S. households. There are still nearly 60 million first-passing U.S. broadband serviceable locations (BSLs) left to address. Read more.6. BEAD changes broke the law: GAO. The Government Accountability Office found that last summer’s tweaks to the program should be submitted to Congress for approval before they can take effect. The GAO ruled that the changes NTIA had made were too great to be pushed through without congressional approval. Experts said the impact of this GAO decision is unclear. The CRA gives Congress 60 days to review and reject rules issued by federal agencies, and if Congress were to enact a resolution of disapproval, those rules would be struck down. Whether that would happen and Congress responds remains to be seen. Read more.7. CommScope cancels $60M expansion plan in N.C. then loses $2M state grant. Vistance Networks, formerly CommScope, cancelled their plans to expand its fiber manufacturing plant in Catawba, North Carolina. The company cancelled a $60 million plan that intended to create 250 jobs due to financial uncertainties. Vistance informed the state in December that it would not achieve its local hiring or investment goals, and this week the North Carolina Economic Investment Committee terminated the company’s nearly $2 million economic development grant. The news comes just after Vistance closed its $10.5 billion sale of Connectivity and Cable Solutions (CCS) to Amphenol. Read more.8. Uniti Wholesale 1,100 miles of dark fiber in TX. A new landmark expansion of Uniti Wholesale’s dark fiber network will link deployments in key AI hubs like Amarillo and Haskell, Texas. The deployment will add 1,100 route miles of ultra highcapacity fiber. Additionally, Uniti Wholesale said the expansion will upgrade space and power at over 20 colocation sites, linking first tier markets with fastgrowing AI hubs. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. TDS Telecom will opportunistically use M&A to enhance its fiber reach. TDS Telecom plans to pursue small, highly synergistic M&A opportunities to bolster its fiber network, avoiding large-scale deals typical of bigger providers. The company added 42,000 fiber addresses in Q3 and aims to reach 1.8 million by 2025, with 80% of addresses served by fiber.  TDS’s M&A strategy focuses on assets aligned with its fiber goals. In recent years, the service provider has divested assets, including its cable operations in Oklahoma and Texas. Read more.2. Take-private acquisition of WOW! is completed. DigitalBridge Group and Crestview Partners have completed their take-private acquisition of broadband provider WideOpenWest Inc. (WOW!) The deal values WOW! at an enterprise price of about $1.5 billion and will pay WOW! shareholders $5.20 in cash per share, after which WOW! common stock will no longer trade on any public exchange. Read more.3. Cable One makes move to expand Clearwave Fiber. Cable One will combine its Clearwave Fiber joint venture with Point Broadband, aiming to establish “one of the largest independent fiber operators in the U.S.” with more than 500,000 passings across 12 states. Launched in 2022 by Cable One and a trio of private equity partners, Clearwave provides residential and commercial fiber in the Midwest and Southeast U.S. Point Broadband, which is also PE-backed, was founded in 2017 and serves 10 states. Read more.4. Cable One to fully acquire Mega Broadband. Cable One Inc. and Mega Broadband Investments Holdings (MBI) have entered into a definitive agreement under which Cable One will acquire the remaining portion of MBI that it does not already own.  MBI, which operates under the Vyve Broadband brand, provides broadband to the southwest, northwest, and mid-south. It had about 210,000 residential and business data customers and 675,000 passings as of the end of last September. Cable One currently owns 45% of MBI. The balance of the company is owned by “certain affiliates of GTCR LLC” and MBI management. management. Read more.5. Wire 3 activates first fiber connections in Deltona FL. A privately funded, $60 million buildout will extend fiber to thousands of homes in Volusia County, FL.  Wire 3 positions itself as Central Florida’s 100% fiber internet provider. The company currently lists other service areas including Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, Holly Hill, Port St. Lucie and New Smyrna Beach. Read more.6. Stellar Broadband and 123Net partner on Michigan fiber network. STELLAR Broadband, a Michigan  provider of fiber internet and technology solutions for Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs) and planned communities, announced a strategic partnership with 123NET, a provider of fiber internet to expand fiber connectivity from Lansing to Grand Rapids. The partnership represents a significant multi-million investment in high-density fiber infrastructure. Read more.7. GoNetspeed Fiber network construction kicks off in Newport, Rhode Island. Construction has begun on a 100% fiber-optic network in Newport, Rhode Island. GoNetspeed announced a rollout the company says will eventually reach more than 8,200 homes and businesses. The company, a Northeastern regional provider, is investing in local infrastructure as it expands into Rhode Island, where it now operates in what the company calls its 10th state.  The provider noted it has been expanding across the Northeast since a 2021 partnership with Oak Hill Capital. Read more.8. Astound launches East Coast fiber route. Astound Business Solutions has built a new fiber network route, spanning more than 300 miles across the East Coast, from New York City to Ashburn, Virginia. This strategic build enhances connectivity between two of the nation’s most critical data hubs. 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. 

Feb 11, 2026

General

UCL Swift Winter 2025 Quarterly Newsletter

Cheers to 2025!We’re celebrating another year of growth, innovation, and strong connections. If we had to choose one word to define 2025, it would be connection—in every sense of the word.This year, connection was present in the relationships we strengthened, the solutions we built, and the progress we made together across the fiber industry. From expanding our American-made product lineup through UCL Connections to sharing knowledge and innovation at trade shows, 2025 pushed us forward in meaningful, measurable ways.None of it would have been possible without our customers, partners, and incredible team—thank you for making this year one of growth, momentum, and shared success. You continue to inspire the work we do and the standards we hold ourselves to.As we close out 2025, we‘re energized by the road ahead. We look forward to 2026 and the opportunities to shape the future of fiber, together. Case Study: LiveOak FiberA fast-growing ISP based in Florida, LiveOak Fiber is doing things differently.Not only are they building a 100% underground network, they’re also investing in the highest-quality products from manufacturers to get the job done. This includes multiple UCL Swift products, such as our:➡️  All-In-One KF4A-HDC splicer➡️  SC-APC-20/30mm connectors➡️ Direct-bury toneable 8145 flat drop cablesBy moving away from pre-terminated assemblies and enabling technicians to cut drop cables on-site to exact length, LiveOak is able to:- Reduce waste- Streamline splices- Accelerate field deploymentLiveOak’s plans to expand its fiber technician workforce aligned perfectly with the implementation of UCL Swift fusion splicers. With intuitive operation and low-maintenance design, our splicers make it faster and easier to train new technicians. With a staff of well-trained,​​ well-equipped technicians and a solid installation and growth strategy, LiveOak is on the path to continued success in 2026 and beyond.Read the full case study below and see how smart workflows and precision tools can deliver lasting network performance. Explore more > UCL Connections:The new standard for American-made fiber optic connectivity.A group photo of UCL Swift employees in matching white t-shirts stand together for a photo outside the Carrollton, Texas headquarters.UCL Connections in Carrollton, Texas, offers custom fiber optic assembly solutions that satisfy all your connectivity needs, normally with a single order.Ideal for installers and contractors who need consistent performance and a trusted supply chain, our American-made products are built to meet the growing demands of FTTH. Every assembly is:➡️ Custom-made to your specs➡️ 100% tested➡️ Serialized with full test results includedWhether you’re working on FTTH deployments, government contracts, or infrastructure builds, UCL Connection delivers quality products you can count on. Explore Our Solutions > Say Goodbye to Signal LossIn case you haven’t heard, we’re setting new global standards in FORJ technology.Our Fiber optic rotary joint delivers reliable, high-quality optical transmission, even under continuous motion and demanding conditions.Designed for precision and engineered for durability, our FORJ is built for:➡️ Aerospace and defense➡️ Medical imaging➡️ Industrial automation➡️ Robotics and moreWhen reliability isn’t optional, turn to the technology you can trust. We have both single channel and multi channel options available. Q4 Trade Show RecapThank you to all of our industry partners, customers, and fellow attendees who made this season of trade shows a success!- NECA Show | September 12-15- SCTE | September 29-Oct 1- AFCEA | Oct 28-30Thank you again to our customers, partners, and team for a year of continued innovation, collaboration, and growth!We look forward to building on this momentum in 2026—delivering even more reliable, efficient, and field-ready fiber solutions to help you get the job done right, every time.

Feb 11, 2026

General

Broadband Bytes, December 2025 Issue 2

From all of us at UCL Swift we wish you a Happy Holiday Season and a joyful and prosperous new year.BROADBAND NEWS: 1. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Benefit of the Bargain Provisional Awards.  Last updated: Friday, December 19, 7:45 a.m. Pacific time. Read more.2. Trump Signs Executive Order to Neuter State A.I. Laws. President Trump signed an executive order that aims to neuter state laws that limit the artificial intelligence industry, a win for tech companies that have lobbied against regulation of the booming technology. The order grants broad authority to the attorney general to sue states and overturn laws that do not support the “United States’ global A.I. dominance,” putting dozens of A.I. safety and consumer protection laws at risk. If states keep their laws in place, Mr. Trump directed federal regulators to withhold funds for broadband (i.e., BEAD) and other projects. Read more.3. Trump administration to states: No BEAD non-deployment funds unless we control AI. The Trump administration has issued an executive order that would prevent states from receiving BEAD Program non-deployment funds if they do not cede control of artificial intelligence (AI) policy to them. “States with onerous AI laws identified pursuant to section 4 of this order are ineligible for non-deployment funds, to the maximum extent allowed by Federal law. Read more.4. Connected Nation BEAD Tracker. Connected Nations online BEAD Tracker aggregates data pulled from final proposals submitted by states and territories. The tracker includes key data from 95% of states and territories. Read more.5. Fiber shows record growth: FBA Survey. The survey found that, in 2025, fiber broadband deployments reached 11.8 million homes in the US — 98.3 million when homes with more than one passing are included. Canada had total of 14.5 million fiber passings, nearly three quarters of the country’s market. In the U.S., fiber broadband has now passed more than six in ten households, and is on pace to overtake cable and all other technologies as the dominant U.S. delivery platform as early as 2028. Read more.6. 'Perfect storm' in fiber supply? A shortage of fiber-optic cable equipment is blamed on AI data center demands as well as US protectionism.  Warnings about a US fiber crunch that could slow down broadband deployment have intensified since the summer. In August, Incab America, a Texan maker of fiber-optic cable, notified customers that "a significant fiber shortage is emerging" and blamed data centers for taking up all the fiber production capacity. Research by CRU forecasts surging demand for fiber-optic cable products from US data centers between now and 2030, creating supply constraints. Read more.7. Broadband Communities: Top 10 Stories 2025. From a BEAD stoppage to DEI drama, 2025 was a wild year for broadband. Broadband Communities looks back at some of the most popular posts over the past 12 months. Read more.8. Senators introduce a blueprint for allocation of BEAD non-deployment funds. The battle over whether and how states will use non-deployment funds from the $42.45 billion BEAD Program shows no sign of being settled. This week, senators from two states introduced a bill aimed at creating a structure for allocating the funds. The bill was introduced by Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia). A tremendous amount of money — estimates of $20 billion to $22 billion — will remain available after the deployment phase of the BEAD Program concludes. Read more.9. Dem senators want status quo on broadband labels. Nine democratic senators asked the FCC to reverse its course on broadband labels, which the FCC is considering scaling back. They opposed the agency’s proposed rulemaking that would scale back key broadband consumer label requirements adopted unanimously in 2022. The senators reminded the FCC that Congress gave the FCC explicit instructions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to create these labels, which are intended to help customers stay informed while choosing broadband plans. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Grain Management sells Hunter Communications to Oak Hill Capital. Oak Hill Capital is buying Hunter Communications, Oregon’s largest privately-owned fiber-optic internet provider, from Grain Management for an undisclosed sum. Hunter Communications has more than 3,000 route miles of fiber infrastructure, and Grain Management initially invested in the company in 2020. Beyond the purchase of Hunter Communications, Oak Hill Capital has been busy in the broadband industry, investing in Omni Fiber, FastBridge Fiber, Wire3, and Socket Telecom in just this year. Read more.2. Optimum invests $40M in New Jersey fiber internet project. Optimum (previously Altice USA) invests $40M to launch its 100% fiber-to-the-home network to communities across Woodbridge, Clark and Linden, New Jersey, to serve thousands of residents and businesses. Read more.3. Wecom Fiber collects largest BEAD award in Arizona. Arizona has awarded a $195M broadband grant to Wecom Fiber to bring high-speed internet to rural and underserved parts of the state. The funding, part of the federal BEAD program, is the largest single BEAD award to any recipient in the state and will be combined with private matching funds to build fiber-to-the-premise service. The money will be used to connect more than 66,000 homes and businesses across 17 project areas in eight counties. Read more.4. Bluepeak invests $150M more in ongoing South Dakota project. Bluepeak, a broadband service provider focused on midwestern states, is adding a $150 million investment to an ongoing fiber project in South Dakota. So far, Bluepeak has invested more than $95 million to reach 55,000 residents and businesses in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Vermillion and nearby South Dakota communities. The second round of investments means the project will reach more than 175,000 residents and businesses across the state. In addition to South Dakota, Bluepeak is active in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Texas. Read more.5. Ohio Looks to Build Middle-Mile Broadband. The state Department of Development’s BroadbandOhio office is poised to take proposals to build a middle-mile fiber network east from Mansfield to Canton, and west to Lima along Route 30. The US Route 30 Corridor spans the entire width of Ohio, passing through 15 counties.  The inquiry period for interested applicants runs Dec. 1, 2025, through Jan. 5, 2026, and a non-mandatory virtual bidders conference will take place Dec. 8. Final proposals are due Feb. 2, 2026. Read more.                6. Ripple Fiber to invest $60M+ and bring fiber to nearly 50K homes in California. Ripple Fiber announced plans to enter California, its tenth state. Investing over $60 million in this initial project, Ripple Fiber will deliver high-speed fiber internet service to nearly 50,000 homes in Kern County. Starting in Bakersfield, construction is expected to begin in early 2026. Additional cities in nearby counties will soon be announcedas Ripple Fiber looks to grow its Southern California network. Read more.7. Surf Internet celebrates 250K fiber passings. Surf Internet has reached 250,000 homes passed with fiber internet across Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, its strongest construction year to date and a defining milestone in the company’s 25th anniversary year. In 2025, Surf brought its fiber-optic service to more than 66,500 additional homes and businesses through November and is on track to exceed 75,000 passings by year-end, driven by construction acceleration, strategic grant funding, and community partnerships across the Great Lakes region. Read more.

Jan 01, 2026

General

Broadband Bytes, December 2025 Issue 1

BROADBAND NEWS:1.Bipartisan RAIL Act aims to simplify broadband use of rail rights-of-way. The bipartisan Broadband and Telecommunications RAIL Act — which was introduced November 21 by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico) — would make it easier to deploy telecom and broadband gear in public and private railroad rights-of-way, according to Blackburn’s office.  The RAIL Act press release said that the permission structure to install equipment near railroads can be slow, inconsistent, and expensive. Read more.2. Another Look at Starlink Performance. The Internet Society published a blog by Isabel Suizo of Carnegie Mellon University that looks at Starlink’s impact on digital equity.  Starlink is not meeting the regulatory performance goals in the U.S., the EU, and Australia. The blog cites speed tests from M-Labs that show that only 24.7% of U.S. speed tests, 13.6% of EU speed tests, and 42.2% of Australian speed tests exceeded 100 Mbps. That speed requirement to qualify as broadband came from the BEAD grants in the US, the Connecting Europe Broadband Fund (CEBF) in the EU, and the Statutory Infrastructure Provider (SIP) regime in Australia. Read more.3. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Benefit of the Bargain Provisional Awards. Last updated: Wednesday, December 3, 8:00 a.m. Pacific time. California became the 50th and final state to announce its provisional BEAD Program awards. Read More.4. Libraries and museums get federal funding back after Trump cuts. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is reinstating all grants that were previously terminated by the Trump administration. A short statement posted on the agency’s website said, “this action supersedes any prior notices which may have been received related to grant termination.” The IMLS is the independent agency in charge of awarding federal grant funding to libraries and museums across the country. Earlier this year, it was the target of one of President Trump’s executive orders, which led to the termination of grants that had been previously awarded. Library insiders said the move particularly hurt small and rural libraries, with limited access to other sources of funding. Read more.5. What Broadband Price Drop? – Editorial. This post covers the annual (“silly”) pronouncement from USTelecom that broadband prices have dropped again in 2025.  Anybody who pays a broadband bill and who still uses the same ISP as the year before knows they have not seen a price reduction.  USTelecom is playing on words. USTelecom is saying that the cost per megabit of broadband has dropped this year. How can the megabit price drop when the actual prices have increased? It’s simple math – ISPs continue to increase the maximum broadband speeds of their products. No consumer thinks about their broadband bill as a cost per megabit, but USTelecom is making its claim based on that.  The statement that broadband prices have dropped 43% since 2015 is a doozy. Prices are clearly rising. The big ISPs still have price increases every year. Read more.6. Reforms to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program? In the last two months of the Biden administration, nearly $500 million in grants were announced to support Tribal broadband projects. 55 Tribal nations were poised to improve Internet access and advance digital sovereignty in their communities. As President Trump took office, more than a hundred applicants still awaited word on their proposals, with nearly $500 million still available in the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP). Then, ten months of silence. (Now) NTIA issued a press release less than a week later announcing “reforms” to the TBCP program. NTIA said it was “not rescinding any obligated awards,” but no new awards from the last batch of applicants would move forward. Instead, the agency would issue a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the remaining funds, which would also fold in some funding under the otherwise ”terminated” Digital Equity Act. A new NOFO means a new, different program, with new rules, no earlier than Spring 2026. Read more.7. State legislators seek release of BEAD non-deployment funds. More than 100 state legislators from both parties have sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick asking that the remaining non-deployment funds from the $42.45B BEAD Program be released. The letter was signed by more than 160 state legislators. The letter, which was also sent to Arielle Roth — the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and head of the NTIA — said that it was Congress’ “clear intent” to release non-deployment BEAD funds and that it is required to do so under Section 60102(f) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Read more.8. ThinkBig Networks rebrands as IQ Fiber in Maryland. IQ Fiber, a 100% fiber-optic internet service provider serving the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic, today announced the official rebrand of ThinkBig Networks to IQ Fiber. This change is the final step in uniting both companies under one brand and mission: delivering a fast, reliable, and stress-free internet experience. With the integration complete, IQ Fiber plans to accelerate its network deployment to additional communities across the Chesapeake Bay and the Mid-Atlantic region. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Cityside Fiber begins construction in Laguna Hills, California. Cityside Fiber, an Orange County-based provider of 100% fiber-optic internet, is launching its fiber network in its seventh city, Laguna Hills. Construction of this project is in progress, with the first customers coming online as early as December of this year. This expansion follows successful deployments throughout South Orange County cities such as Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Dana Point, and Irvine, further positioning Cityside Fiber as a leader in high-speed internet for homes and businesses across Southern California. Read more.2. GoNetspeed celebrates completion of Ansonia, Connecticut network. GoNetspeed has officially completed its $4.3 million, 100% fiber-optic network serving Ansonia, CT. With the buildout finished, more than 6,700 homes and businesses can now experience GoNetspeed’s network through a direct fiber connection. Read more.3. Lightpath expands AI-Grade Fiber network in Columbus, Ohio. Lightpath, an all-fiber, infrastructure-based connectivity provider, announced the expansion of its fiber network in Greater Columbus, Ohio. This latest project adds approximately 150 route miles of high-density fiber to the initial network announced earlier this year, more than doubling Lightpath’s fiber footprint across the region.  Lightpath now operates dense metro and regional fiber systems across major U.S. markets, including New York, New Jersey, southeast Connecticut, Boston, Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Eastern Pennsylvania, Miami, and Columbus—connecting nearly 200 data centers, enabling next-generation workloads across the AI economy. Read more.4. Vero Fiber completes acquisition of BendTel. Vero Broadband, operating as Vero Fiber, announced that it has completed the acquisition of BendTel, Inc. The closing brings the long-standing Central Oregon telecommunications provider fully into the Vero organization. Read more.5. RightFiber network build in El Dorado, Arkansas. An investment of $5 million will propel the construction of a fiber network in El Dorado, Arkansas, RightFiber has announced. The rollout will be phased into several neighborhoods. RightFiber, a brand of Ritter Communications, is Arkansas-based, headquartered in Jonesboro. Read more.6. Ezee Fiber begins construction in Algona and Pacific, Washington. Ezee Fiber, announced the start of construction on its all-fiber network in the cities of Algona and Pacific in Washington State. The expansion marks the next phase of the company’s continued investment in bringing fiber internet to communities across the Puget Sound region.  Ezee Fiber’s Washington State expansion began in early 2025 and has rapidly grown across the region. With the addition of Algona and Pacific, Ezee Fiber is now constructing and delivering service across multiple communities throughout the Puget Sound region. As part of this expansion, the company has opened a regional office in Kent and is actively hiring new team members to grow along with Ezee Fiber in the community. Read more.7. Ripple Fiber will expand Massachusetts footprint to Merrimac. In partnership with the Merrimac Municipal Light Department, Ripple Fiber is bringing high-speed fiber internet to over 3,000 households throughout the town. With construction now underway, the provider anticipates its first customers in the area to begin enjoying service by Spring 2026.  In early 2026, Ripple Fiber will celebrate the opening of its new office in Clinton, MA. Read more.8. Ripple Fiber announces expansion into Washington state with $250M investment. Ripple Fiber plans to expand into the state of Washington. The expansion will come in the form of a $250 million investment, with the initial project to begin construction in the next few weeks in the communities of Ocean Shores and Federal Way. This is Ripple Fiber’s first step in a plan to bring fiber broadband to more than 200,000 Washington homes in the areas of Grays Harbor County and King County. The first customers should start receiving service in the first quarter of 2026 and it plans to open a local office soon. 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. 

Jan 01, 2026

General

Broadband Bytes, November 2025 Issue 2

BROADBAND NEWS:1. NTIA Announces Streamlining of Tribal Broadband Funding. NTIA will unveil a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support Tribal broadband access in the spring.  The goal of the new NOFO will be to reduce red tape for Tribal governments, promote flexibility, and align the NTIA’s grant opportunities to better serve Tribal connectivity, according to NTIA. An estimated $500 million in remaining Tribal broadband funding is also expected to be made available in the spring. Read more.2. State, Local Chambers Push FCC to Approve $34.5B Charter-Cox Merger. In letters to the FCC publicized, state and local chambers argued that the deal would not harm competition due to minimal overlap between Charter and Cox territories – less than 0.1 percent, according to some filings.  Supporters say the deal could expand broadband investment, onshore customer service jobs, and improve employee wages. Read more.3. Project Kuiper Rebrands to Amazon Leo. Seven-year-old Project Kuiper, Amazon’s foray into the low-earth orbit (LEO) sector, has changed its name to Amazon Leo. Amazon also provided an update on the progress the company says it has made so far. It claims to have one of the largest satellite production lines, an advanced customer terminal and the first commercial phased array antenna that supports gigabit speeds. The company says that it has more than 150 satellites in orbit and an array of partners. The dominant player in the LEO sector is Starlink, which in June, had 6,750 satellites in orbit. Read more.4. NTIA Announces Approval of 18 BEAD Final Proposals. NTIA announces the approval of 18 Eligible Entities’ Final Proposals to deliver universal broadband access through the BEAD program. The States and Territories approved by NTIA include Louisiana, Wyoming, Iowa, American Samoa, Georgia, Arkansas, Delaware, Guam, Maine, New Hampshire, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Connecticut, South Carolina, North Dakota, Hawaii, Montana, Rhode Island, and Virginia. And, one state, Louisiana, has signed its award amendment, allowing the state to access BEAD funds to begin delivering broadband to its constituents.  More information on Final Proposals will be made available here. Read more from Telecompetitor. Read more from NTIA.5. NTIA Approves Texas’ BEAD Final Proposal. Texas’ Benefit of the Bargain funding round saved $2 billion compared to allocations by the Biden administration, according to NTIA.  The original funding had been $3.31 billion, but was finalized at $1.26 billion.  More than half of BEAD locations that received funding in Texas will get fiber. The breakdown for all 242,903 funded locations is Fiber: 50.6%, Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite: 27.1%, Fixed wireless: 22.3%. Read more.6. Broadband Expansion Could Be Hindered by Workforce. The BEAD program faces potential delays as the telecom industry confronts a projected shortage of skilled workers needed to build infrastructure.  A report from the Pew Charitable Trusts’ broadband access initiative describes the anticipated increase in demand for skilled broadband workers and examines the barriers to expanding that workforce. Industry groups, including the Fiber Broadband Association and the Power and Communications Contractor Association, suggest that by 2032, the sector will require at least 58,000 new workers—including 28,000 construction jobs and 30,000 technician positions—to handle the demand created by BEAD and other federal broadband programs. Read more.7. Great Plains Communications Announces Connectivity to Data Center in Simpsonville, Kentucky. Great Plains Communications (GPC) announced that its GPC Fiber division has partnered with Aphorio Carter to bring fiber connectivity into Aphorio Carter’s colocation and data-center facility in Simpsonville, Kentucky. Through this partnership, the Simpsonville facility will now feature direct access to GPC Fiber’s 19,000-mile network with local, regional, and national reach. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Tillman Fiber Invests $60M in Fiber Network in Hernando County, Florida. Tillman Fiber announced a $60 million investment to build a next-generation, open-access fiber network throughout Hernando County, Florida. Once complete, the network will enable residents to choose from multiple internet service providers operating on Tillman’s open-access platform. Read more.2. FOCUS Broadband Now Available in North Carolina’s Chowan and Perquimans Counties. FOCUS Broadband has announced that high-speed fiber internet service is now available to more than 7,000 addresses in Chowan and Perquimans counties, with additional addresses coming soon. Once these final phases are finished, FOCUS Broadband will serve more than 8,000 addresses across Chowan and Perquimans counties. Read more.3. Ripple Fiber powers into Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Ripple Fiber is launching high-speed fiber internet service to its first residents in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Representing the provider’s initial project in the state, the first 5,000 households are anticipated to have live service over the next few months. Ripple Fiber will continue to pursue expansion opportunities throughout Illinois. Earlier this year, Ripple Fiber broke ground in Elk Grove Village, beginning the buildout of its initial $104 million project. Residents in nearby areas of Naperville, Streamwood, Joliet, and Aurora can expect planned construction activity across multiple neighborhoods in 2026. Read more.4. Ritter Communications will extend fiber from Little Rock to Tulsa. As part of a 20-year contract award with a hyperscaler, Ritter Communications will be expanding their long-haul fiber network to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ritter announced the connection to Tulsa will extend from Little Rock, located several hundred miles east. The provider also said the network will provide services to new and existing markets along the route. Meanwhile, Oklahoma will become the seventh state Ritter Communications has expanded to. Read more.5. Midco Finalizes SCI Acquisition. Midco finalized the acquisition of Savage Communications Inc. (SCI) Broadband, a purchase that expands Midco’s Minnesota network and prepares the company for continued fiber expansion in the state.  SCI Broadband was founded in 1984 by Ron Savage and grew to serve nearly 12,000 data customers in central Minnesota. By the end of this year, the network built by SCI will reach nearly 28,000 passings. Read more.6. Ara Partners Takes Majority Control of Centric Fiber. Ara Partners has taken a majority controlling stake in Centric Fiber, a bulk fiber-to-the-home provider focused on Texas, Florida, and Arizona. Ara describes itself as a global private equity and infrastructure investment firm. It was founded in 2017 and has offices in Houston, Boston, Washington D.C., and Dublin, Ireland. Centric Fiber is headquartered in Houston. It provides fiber broadband to large single-family master planned communities. Read more.7. Flume to Partner with Gigapower for Arizona MDU’s. Gigapower, the open-access network operator owned by AT&T and BlackRock, said that it has reached an agreement with Flume to use the network in Mesa, Arizona. Flume is a service provider focused on multi-dwelling units that relies primarily on other providers’ networks for connectivity. 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. 

Dec 24, 2025