Telecommunication

Great Plains Communications purchased Kearney (NE) based USA Communications and expanded its fiber network into areas of Nebraska and Colorado. Great Plains now has a fiber network touching 13 states and spanning more than 13,500 miles. USA Communications has been in business since 1995 and provides fiber connectivity to business and residential customers in parts of both Nebraska and Colorado; Great Plains said it plans to initially focus on expanding USA Communications’ fiber network to more homes and businesses in Kearney, Grand Island and other Nebraska communities.

As you might imagine, we thought there would be exciting news to share today about broadband. Not so much. As we wait for a vote on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (could it come today?

Google Fiber has been transitioning away from its traditional TV product toward virtual MVPD alternatives since 2020, and the shift is now almost complete. Liz Hsu, director of product strategy for Google Fiber, provided an update about retiring Fiber TV in all Google Fiber markets. Hsu said the company has completely upgraded Fiber TV customers in Nashville, Huntsville, Salt Lake City and Provo, while Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte and Irvine will finish their transitions by the end of September 2021. Austin and Atlanta will finish up by the end of November 2021.

Rural operator American Broadband purchased the fiber assets of Nebraska provider BNT Broadband as part of what executives characterized as an aggressive growth strategy. American Broadband and its family of brands (including Cameron Communications and TelAkaska), provide voice, video and broadband service to rural communities across Nebraska, Missouri, Alaska, Louisiana and Texas. Chief Strategy Officer Jim Patterson stated the operator currently passes just under 60,000 homes and has customer relationships with about 60 to 65 percent of those.

SiFi Networks CEO Ben Bawtree-Jobson announced his company’s aggressive plans to launch Open Access FiberCities in 30 US communities by the end of 2022. SiFi will be committing $2 billion from private investors and will begin deploying fiber in 30 cities by the end of next year at no cost to taxpayers, and is working actively with nearly 100 cities total. To help close the digital divide, SiFi Networks will ramp up FiberCity Aid, a groundbreaking digital inclusion program that subsidizes gigabit-speed broadband for low-income residents in SiFi FiberCities.

Federal Communications Commissioner Nathan Simington argued wireline technology might not be the best broadband solution for every use case. Commissioner Simington discussed the question of whether fiber should be rolled out to every American, explaining some have argued that the US should pursue universal fiber deployments in the same way the country went about electrification. The commissioner stated “obviously fiber is a very robust technology” but it’s not necessarily one that everyone wants or needs.

Utah-based open access network provider UTOPIA Fiber struck a deal to help Montana-based wholesale operator Bozeman Fiber complete a $65 million network expansion. Bozeman Fiber currently runs an open access fiber ring in the city of Bozeman (MT) serving local government and education facilities as well as more than 200 commercial customers. Its new initiative with UTOPIA Fiber seeks to grow that footprint to deliver fiber-to-the-premises to 22,000 homes and businesses there. The three-year project is expected to begin in the first half of 2022.

The part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill dedicated to distributing $42.5 billion in broadband funds would give preference to companies with a record of following labor and employment laws—a requirement that, practically speaking, could give an advantage to professionalized union workforces over the constellation of subcontractors that power the telecommunications industry.

Facebook is partnering with Appalachian Power, a utility that serves the southeastern region of the US, and Virginia-based internet service provider GigaBeam Networks to bring fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and wireless internet service to approximately 6,000 unserved households in Grayson County (VA). In Virginia, Facebook is building new long-haul fiber routes that will connect its Virginia, Ohio, and North Carolina data centers.

Comcast hasn’t been shy about touting its network investments on the road to DOCSIS 4.0, but CEO Brian Roberts argued its efforts to innovate around devices and services are also a key part of its plan to fend off broadband competition. Roberts observed that the way consumers use broadband today is “virtually unrecognizable” from ten years ago and said the pace of change is likely to accelerate.