Here’s how MetroNet is winning over mayors as fiber competition intensifies

MetroNet's focus on building quickly and considerately is helping it win over mayors and other local officials in an increasingly competitive fiber market. The operator currently has construction underway in all 14 of the states where it operates, with work covering more than 90 cities. States with the most projects include North Carolina, Minnesota, and Iowa. But MetroNet isn’t just focused on building contiguous markets; it is increasingly targeting underserved tier 2 cities across the country, with its market identification team already in conversations with officials in states outside of its current territory. Over the next year and beyond, MetroNet expects to add several new states to its construction list. As it works to lock in new build targets, it is having conversations with city officials behind the scenes that have changed. While there was a time when MetroNet was entering cities as the only fiber provider, it’s increasingly going into markets where smaller regional fiber players are making inroads and city officials have more fiber options to choose from. MetroNet proactively invites residents to mark out underground systems with flags the company provides and allows citizens to submit questions and concerns via an online ticketing system. It also pays for any restoration work itself, he said. The idea of all of this, he said, is to make construction as painless as possible for both municipal officials and residents alike.