Ownership

Expanding Broadband in Portland (OR), The Time Is Now

Our local and regional governments have a responsibility to provide equitable, accessible, and affordable fast-internet service to every home and business—just like electricity, water, and waste removal. Portland (OR) has existing infrastructure that can be used to provide affordable access to fast internet for all Portlanders: a publicly owned dark fiber network used for essential city services—IRNE (Integrated Regional Network Enterprise) Net.

Small Maine Towns Say Public Broadband Money Should Go to Public Networks, Not Corporations

A Republican, a Libertarian, and a Democrat meet over a beer in the small town of Liberty, Maine. Bob Kurek, Joe Meadows, and Phil Bloomstein, each a selectman from their respective towns, may disagree on many issues, but they unanimously agree when it comes to broadband funding: Public funds should support publicly owned fiber-optic networks. Kurek, Meadows, and Bloomstein are three of Waldo Broadband Corporation’s (WBC) five volunteer directors.

Cox Communications Wraps Buy of Fiber Provider Unite Private Networks

Cox Communications, continuing its investment in network infrastructure providers of the last couple of years, closed its purchase of commercial fiber provider Unite Private Networks (UPN) for an undisclosed price.

Dish’s Charlie Ergen looks to consolidate his telecom empire

Charlie Ergen is looking to merge the two halves of his telecom empire, Dish and EchoStar, a deal that would tilt Dish away from a satellite TV business in decline. Apparently, both companies have engaged advisers to sort through what a deal might look like.

Surf Internet and MiSignal Joining Forces to Expand Fiber-Optic Broadband in Eastern Michigan

Surf Internet has entered into an agreement to acquire the fiber-optic network assets of Howell-based MiSignal. Surf has made significant investments in Livingston County, Michigan, and now with the purchase of MiSignal’s fiber-optic broadband network, will significantly expand those efforts.

Private Funding Enables GoNetspeed Rapid Expansion

Announcements of GoNetspeed fiber market launches have been coming at a rapid pace. GoNetspeed President and CEO Richard Clark said the company has been able to do this thanks to its reliance primarily on private funding. “By privately funding our infrastructure, we are able to build at a faster pace with access to additional resources.

Dublin (OH) Selects altafiber to Provide Complete Citywide Broadband Access

The City of Dublin (OH) is announcing a new partnership with altafiber. The two parties will work to make Dublin the most connected city in the nation – by providing every premise in Dublin access to reliable, ultra-fast fiber. altafiber was selected following a “Request for Proposal” (RFP) process, seeking a partner to provide competitive access to internet service of 10 gigabits for all Dublin residents. The City of Dublin conducted various community surveys in recent years to determine residents’ experiences with their internet service.

Rockford (IL) Launches $200 Million Privately Funded Fiber Project

Officials from SiFi Networks and the City of Rockford (IL) announced the official construction launch of the Rockford FiberCity project, a revolutionary fiber-optic infrastructure investment that will bring a fast, affordable, and reliable all-fiber internet network to every home, business, and institution in the city. The circa $200 million project, which is being funded privately, shall provide access to all of Rockford’s 78,000 households, businesses and institutions, with speeds up to 10 Gbps, among the fastest residential speeds available in the US. Notably, the Rockford FiberCity proj

Building Publicly Owned Broadband Starts with a Low-Tech Approach: Community Buy-in

Ten years ago, long before the unprecedented amounts of federal funding in rural Internet infrastructure, Roger Heinen watched Islesboro’s population drop precipitously. In 2014, Heinen formed a small volunteer coalition to come up with a solution for the island of under 600 year-round residents. In 2016, voters approved a $3.8 million bond to fund the construction of a fiber-to-the-premises infrastructure capable of speeds of 1 gigabit per second.

The government is helping Big Telecom squeeze out city-run broadband

In Ammon, Idaho, every home has access to a fiber optic connection with 1 gigabit per second download and upload speeds. It costs roughly $30 per month. And it’s not controlled by a single big company. Nine different providers can offer you that connection.

Altafiber to Buy Assets of Bridgewired

Altafiber, formerly Cincinnati Bell, has agreed to acquire the broadband infrastructure assets of Bridgewired, a Ohio-based company that operates a fiber optic network delivering gigabit Internet speeds to locations in portions of Warren County, Greene County, and Clinton County.

DISH Clears One FCC 5G Buildout Hurdle, But Still Faces Future Deadlines

DISH says it is providing 5G service to 70% of the US population and has launched more than 15,000 5G sites and therefore has met a key Federal Communications Commission buildout milestone related to its acquisition of Boost Mobile. DISH faces additional buildout requirements two years from now, however, and some question whether the company will be able to meet those requirements, citing funding and timing constraints. The company says that it has continued to add functionality and markets to its voice over new radio (V

Private equity has a $250 million plan to build a new broadband competitor in the Sunbelt

Private equity firm Friedman Capital is looking to scoop up as many as 20 small broadband providers across the Southeastern Sunbelt region in the US, aiming to build a sizable competitor capable of bringing better broadband to parts of the country experiencing rapid population growth. Friedman Capital launched a new strategic investment fund to fuel its plan, aiming to secure $250 million in capital commitments.

T-Mobile makes case to FCC for Mint buyout

Representatives for T-Mobile and Ka’ ena Corporation met with Federal Communications Commission officials to argue why T-Mobile should be able to acquire Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile from Ka’ ena. According to a June 5 , 2023 filing with the FCC, T-Mobile presented a PowerPoint spelling out why the transaction will not harm the competition or consumers.

Windstream blows past FCC foreign ownership rule to end bankruptcy saga

Windstream will walk away from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy for good following a decision from the Federal Communications Commission to waive a rule that prohibits US telecommunications carriers from having more than 25% ownership by foreign companies. The FCC waiver is the final stamp of approval for Windstream’s plan of reorganization, for which the Bankruptcy Court gave the go-ahead in June 2020.

European Commission clears Viasat's acquisition of Inmarsat

The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Inmarsat by Viasat. The European  Commission concluded that the merger would not raise competition concerns in the European Economic Area (‘EEA') or any substantial part of it. The decision follows an in-depth investigation of the proposed acquisition of Inmarsat by Viasat. Both companies are providers of ‘two-way' satellite-based communication services.

Grain says not all private equity broadband investors are created equal

Private equity (PE) money has been flooding into the broadband market over the past two years. Everywhere you look, someone has a PE partner of some kind.

Private equity firms discuss the business model of fiber deployments

WIA Connect(X) show panelists were asked if there is a magic number that developers should target for the cost per home passed with fiber. Beth Hoffman, managing director with Berkshire Partners, said that a lot of it depends on the density of the market. The cost per home passed in a dense city like San Francisco (CA) could be as low as $700.

Are the FTC’s tools strong enough for digital challenges?

In a period of only nine days—April 25 to May 3, 2023—the the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced initiatives to look at unfair and deceptive acts involving AI and proposed banning Meta Platforms from targeting young users. These come on top of two years of antitrust aggressiveness and consumer protection assertiveness. But both actions beg the question, “Are the tools strong enough for the task?” Both the AI and Meta activities are indications of the limitations that FTC Chair Lina Khan and the agency face as a result of being tied to industrial-era statutes and procedures.

Brightspeed gets $500 Million investment from Abu Dhabi firm Mubadala

North Carolina-based broadband provider Brightspeed has caught the eye of Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala, which will invest $500 million into the operator. The investment, subject to regulatory approvals and conditions, would make Mubadala a minority shareholder alongside Apollo Global Management, Brightspeed’s parent company.

Former Sprint Wireline Network Now in Cogent’s Hands with Close of T-Mobile Deal

Cogent Communications has completed the previously announced acquisition of T-Mobile’s Wireline Business.

30 years ago, one decision altered the course of our connected world

30 years ago—on April 30, 1993—something called the World Wide Web launched into the public domain. The web made it simple for anyone to navigate the internet. All users had to do was launch a new program called a "browser," type in a URL, and hit return. This began the internet's transformation into the vibrant online canvas we use today. Anyone could build their own "web site" with pictures, video and sound. They could even send visitors to other sites using hyperlinked words or phrases underlined in blue.

Ten Key Issues for Broadband Network Operating Agreements

Broadband partnerships have emerged as an attractive option for deployment in many areas of the country. However, in order to be successful in developing a mutually beneficial Network Operating Agreement (NOA), the parties should keep the big-picture goals of the project in mind throughout the negotiations. A successful NOA will typically address the following ten core issues: