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