Sitting Out BEAD? Why NOVOS FiBER’s CTO Has No Regrets
NOVOS FiBER’s chief technology officer Rob Johnson said the company has no regrets about sitting out the federal BEAD program, the multi‑billion‑dollar broadband initiative. He argued that state‑level allocations are often fragmented, forcing competing providers to duplicate infrastructure on the same street. Johnson also noted that competition in the broadband market is fiercer than ever, but local operators can leverage proximity to customers for a competitive edge. The comments were made during a Connected America podcast interview.
Lightcurve Rolls Out Faster Speeds to Customers in Washington State
Lightcurve, a regional fiber provider, has begun offering 8 Gbps symmetrical internet to customers in Central Washington, covering Ellensburg, Selah and Kittitas. The rollout includes advanced mesh Wi‑Fi that can handle up to 10 Gbps, positioning the service as a premium alternative...
Ripple Fiber Strengthens Presence in Illinois with Naperville Launch
Ripple Fiber has begun delivering its high‑speed fiber‑optic internet service to homes and businesses in Naperville, Illinois, marking the company’s first major rollout in the state. The launch follows a $104 million infrastructure investment that also supports ongoing construction in Elk...
AT&T Is Investing Big in California, Plans to Add Hundreds of Jobs
AT&T announced a $19 billion investment to modernize California’s telecommunications network by 2030, targeting fiber upgrades for over four million households and businesses and adding more than 1,200 new cell sites. The rollout will replace the aging copper infrastructure, begin copper...
Home of the San Francisco 49ers Gets a Network Glow Up
Comcast Business has installed an advanced network backbone at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers. The infrastructure supports high‑density Wi‑Fi, mobile engagement, and 4K video production for up to 70,000 fans. Comcast says the upgrade positions the...
Rural Broadband Institute Launches for Disadvantaged Communities
Communities Unlimited (CU) announced the launch of the Rural Broadband Institute (RBI), a new center dedicated to closing the connectivity gap in rural America. RBI will provide memberships for broadband advocates and deliver technical assistance, training, research, and policy support...
123NET Names Ken Fitzpatrick as President and CEO
123NET announced Ken Fitzpatrick, former Everstream president and CEO, as its new president and CEO, effective immediately. Fitzpatrick succeeds founder Dan Irvin, who will remain on the board after three decades at the helm. The Michigan‑based fiber, colocation and voice...
ISP Partners with Electric Co-Op to Deliver Fiber on the Gulf Coast
Conexon Connect, a rural fiber specialist, has teamed up with Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative to launch a new fiber‑to‑the‑home network on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The partnership aims to bring multigigabit internet to underserved northwest Florida communities, marking Conexon’s sixth FTTH...
Wire 3 Hooks up Mount Dora to Their Florida Fiber Network
Wire 3, a Florida‑based ISP, has connected Mount Dora to its 100% fiber network, delivering symmetrical speeds up to 10 Gbps and a five‑year price lock for new subscribers. The rollout is part of a broader Lake County expansion in which the...
Midco and Switch Announce Historic 400G Connectivity Deal
Midco and Switch have sealed a five‑year, multistate agreement to deploy more than 500 individual 400 Gbps circuits between Ellendale, North Dakota and Chicago, delivering 200 Tbps of capacity with full path redundancy. The deal leverages Nokia’s optical networking technology and positions...
Texas-Based ISP Names a New Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Fidium, a Houston‑based fiber internet provider, announced the appointment of Dennis “Denny” L. Randolph Jr. as its new chief financial officer and treasurer, succeeding Fred Graffam. Randolph will oversee accounting, financial strategy, planning and analysis, tax, and investor relations as...
Beyond the Cable: How ISPs Can Better Monetize Networks
Cisco senior business development manager Robin Olds told Broadband Communities that ISPs must move beyond speed‑only pricing. He advocated tiered quality‑of‑service plans, network slicing, and performance‑lane offerings to monetize latency, jitter and packet loss. Olds also highlighted AI edge services...
Utah Broadband Awarded $23 Million From USDA’s ReConnect
Utah Broadband secured almost $23 million from the USDA’s ReConnect program, split evenly between a grant and a loan, to build a 315‑mile fiber‑to‑the‑premises network in northern Utah. The project will deliver up to 10 Gbps symmetrical speeds to more than 3,000...
Ripple Fiber to Invest $80 Million in Arizona Expansion Effort
Ripple Fiber announced an $80 million investment to launch its first fiber‑optic network in Arizona, its 11th state of operation. The rollout will initially serve Oro Valley and Sahuarita, with construction slated to begin this month and early June respectively, and...
FCC Moves Closer to Banning some Foreign-Made Phones
The Federal Communications Commission is poised to prohibit the recognition of device‑testing labs in countries that lack reciprocal trade agreements, phasing out non‑compliant labs within two years. At the same time, the agency will streamline certification for U.S. labs and...