Blue Ridge plots fiber rebuild of its entire 8,000-mile cable network

Pennsylvania-based operator Blue Ridge Communications unveiled a plan to rebuild its entire 8,000-mile hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network with fiber to the home (FTTH), taking what it says is a commonsense step to future-proof its system. Company executive Mark Masenheimer says Blue Ridge got its first taste of fiber when it completed a greenfield build in the city of Westfield earlier this year covering 1,600 homes. Now, it plans to push XGS-PON fiber to all 250,000 homes in the state it currently serves with HFC. Work will be conducted on a county-by-county basis, with an initial focus on serving areas where Blue Ridge has the largest customer base. Construction is set to take place over the course of four to five years, though Masenheimer said a majority its customers will gain access to fiber well before the end of that timeframe. “We will go as fast as our vendors allow us,” he said. Blue Ridge joins a number of regional and smaller operators in pushing fiber to subscribers. TDS Telecom executives recently said they feel a “sense of urgency” around the company's fiber strategy. Shenandoah Telecommunications has also prioritized fiber expansion over cable, aiming to cover 74,000 homes with the former by the end of 2021 and 300,000 by the end of 2026.