Carl Weinschenk
Frontier’s “Good to Go” Ad Campaign Links Fiber to the Future
One of the messages Frontier aims to deliver in its new “Good to Go” ad campaign is that 100 percent fiber infrastructure can support subscribers now and into the future. The campaign was developed by McCann New York. The video illustrates the “changes in human experience over a lifetime” and suggests that a fiber-based broadband can be one of the few constants.
Advertising Watchdog Sides with AT&T in Challenge Against Charter Over Backup Service
Charter Communications said that although it “disagrees with NAD’s conclusion,” it will comply with modifications to an advertisement for its Spectrum Business Wireless Internet Backup service suggested by BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division (NAD). The challenge to the ad was brought by AT&T Services. NAD found that disclosures were not prominent enough and confusing.
Maryland Broadband Dashboard: 20 Providers Granted $239 Million Since 2019
The state of Maryland has created a useful online dashboard showing how much broadband funding it awarded between 2019 and 2023. Interested parties can check information by provider and by year. A total of 20 entities received grants during the five years covered by the dashboard, which was posted by the Maryland Office of Statewide Broadband. The 10 companies that were awarded the most money were
Report: 42 Percent of Rural/Small Town Homes Passed by Fiber
Among residents in cities and suburbs, about 55 percent have been passed by at least one fiber provider, while among those in small towns and rural areas, only about 42 percent have been passed, according to a study by RVA LLC. This leaves a small town/rural opportunity for an initial passing of about 22 million homes.
Comcast Boosts Speeds, Provides Info on Post-ACP Options
Comcast increased the speeds of four of its service tiers at no charge and made two announcements aimed at households enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which is slated to begin winding down in April 2024. Comcast has doubled its Connect tier from 75 Mbps to 150 Mbps. Connect More has moved from 200 Mbps to 300 Mbps; and the Fast tier moves from 400 Mbps to 500 Mbps. Xfinity Prepaid has been increased by a factor of four, from 50 Mbps to 200 Mbps. The speed increases are available to both new and existing customers. ACP.
VC-Backed Fastwyre Investing $65 million in Louisiana
Regional provider Fastwyre Broadband is investing more than $65 million in new and existing markets in southwest and south central Louisiana. A Fastwyre spokesperson said that “the vast majority of the $65 million investment is self-funded with small federal and state grant funding in more remote areas.” Fastwyre is a portfolio company of Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC and Catania ABC Partners. The company says that it will build or expand fiber broadband networks to support symmetrical services that eventually will reach 10 Gbps.
Another Fixed Wireless Acquisition for EarthLink
EarthLink has acquired QX.net, a fixed wireless access provider specializing in business customers in Kentucky. QX.net has operated in the state since 1997. According to EarthLink, it built the state’s largest dedicated wireless internet network. The provider offers internet, voice, data center and SD-WAN services to businesses in different industries. Earthlink plans to expand in other markets in Kentucky. QX.net employees will be retained, EarthLink said.
Alaska Communications to Invest $40 Million in Broadband
Alaska Communications said it plans to follow a 2023 investment of $65 million with $40 million in 2024 in an effort to bring broadband to residents and businesses in the state. While some other broadband providers use fiber broadband for any new deployments, Alaska Communications uses a mixture of fiber-fed copper, fixed wireless and fiber broadband—an approach driven by the state’s unique terrain and population density. During the past two years, the company has deployed fiber to about 10,000 homes in Fairbanks and Anchorage and to a multi-dwelling unit in downtown Juneau.
Illinois Program Aims to Help Rural Counties Win Broadband Funding
Several organizations, led by the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, are working on Broadband Breakthrough, a pilot program that aims to help bring federally funded high-speed connectivity to five rural Illinois counties. The idea behind the program, which is funded by United Soybean Board, is to increase the percentage of farmers with broadband by preparing a wide variety of stakeholders to apply for grant money from the federal government.
Florida Provider Wire 3: Megabit Broadband Speeds Are “Obsolete”
Announcements about multi-gigabit fiber broadband offerings are not as exciting today as they were a year or two ago, now that more and more providers are offering those speeds.