telecompetitor

LICT Gets Set to Spin Off Michigan Broadband

LICT, a publicly-held company with several rural service provider subsidiaries, plans to spin off one of those subsidiaries into a separately traded entity. The subsidiary, currently known as Michigan Broadband, will be known as MachTen after the spinoff, which is expected to occur on August 14, 2023. The separation will make LICT and MachTen completely independent, publicly traded companies.

Open Access Network Operator Underline Claims Most Generous ACP Low-Income Broadband Offering

Open access network operator Underline is launching what Founder and CEO Bob Thompson calls the “most generous” Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) offering in the US. Multiple broadband providers have what Thompson calls “net zero” ACP offerings that have a price tag of $30, enabling qualifying households to get free service when the ACP benefit is applied.

North Dakota Providers Break Ground on Government-Funded Fiber Broadband Builds

Five providers that offer service in eastern North Dakota broke ground simultaneously on fiber projects funded, in part, through state and federal broadband programs.

T-Mobile Gets Mostly Bad News in Advertising Watchdog Decision

T-Mobile will appeal several decisions made by the National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs to challenges brought by AT&T. The decisions involved “Phone Freedom” ads that appeared in television commercials, radio advertisements, and on T-Mobile’s website. The good news for T-Mobile is that NAD found at least one claim made in the “Phone Freedom” campaign to be supported. The bad news for T-Mobile is that some claims were not found to be supported.

CFO: Charter Has Won Over $700M in Broadband Funding Since RDOF

Charter has now won $700 million in broadband funding since its big win in the 2018 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction, said Jessica Fischer, the company’s chief financial officer. The funding will go toward buildouts to 300,000 locations, Fischer said. The gross cost of the buildouts for which Charter has won funding will be $1.7 billion, which suggests that Charter will contribute matching funds of about $1 billion for the builds. The buildout cost per passing to Charter will be $3,200, Fischer said. The company completed 68,000 subsidized rural passings this quarter, she noted

Element8 Investment in Wisper ISP Brings Two Fixed Wireless Providers Together

Element8, a broadband provider with a focus on fixed wireless access (FWA), made a “transformational” investment in Wisper ISP, another broadband provider with an FWA focus.

What State Broadband Offices Are Focused on Now: BEAD Initial Proposals and More

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced how much Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding each of the 50 states would be allocated. The answer varies from state to state, but one thing they all have in common is that Volume 1 and Volume 2 of their initial proposals are due December 27, 2023. Once NTIA approves the proposal, the state will get 20 percent of its BEAD funding. Volume 1 must include: Existing broadband funding, Unserved and underserved locations, Community anchor institutions, Challenge process plans.

Oregon Director Must Tackle Numerous Challenges on the Route to Universal Broadband

Oregon faces a range of challenges on the route to making broadband available throughout the state, said Nick Batz, director of the Oregon Broadband Office (OBO). “Our biggest challenge is the size of the state,” he said. “We’re roughly the size of the United Kingdom but have six percent of the population.

Declaration Networks CEO: We’re Shifting Focus from Fixed Wireless to Fiber

Declaration Networks deploys fixed wireless access (FWA) to unserved and underserved areas. But as CEO Bob Nichols said, “Most of our networks moving forward will be fiber-to-the-home.” Declaration Networks was one of the first companies to deploy FWA using TV white spaces (TVWS) spectrum and as a participant in Microsoft’s Airband rural broadband deployment program.

Analysts Revise Telecommunications Lead Remediation Estimate to $4.4 Billion to $21 Billion

If telecommunications providers are required to remove decades-old lead-sheathed cable from their networks, the total bill is likely to be in the range of $4.4 billion to $21 billion, according to a new estimate from New Street Research.

Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Winners Seek Solutions to Rising Build Costs

Deployment cost estimates underlying winning Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) bids are no longer accurate, representatives for a coalition of RDOF winners told FCC officials on July 14. The representatives suggested several possible remedies, including providing additional funding and other ideas. In a letter summarizing the meeting, the coalition cited “massive and unprecedented increases in broadband deployment construction costs . . .

Astound Mobile Service Expansion is Good News for T-Mobile

Astound Broadband is expanding its mobile offering, dubbed Astound Mobile, to about four million customers in 12 states the company currently serves.

Providers Winning CPF or BEAD Funding Must Support ACP, But ACP Could be Gone in 2024

Read the rules for broadband deployment programs such as the Capital Projects Fund (CPF) or Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and you’ll see a requirement for service providers receiving funding to participate in the low-income Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

Meet Oklahoma’s New Broadband Director Mike Sanders

When Mike Sanders started his job as Executive Director for the Oklahoma Broadband Office in May 2023, the state’s broadband office had four employees. At the end of June 2023, he expected that number to hit 15. Previously, Director Sanders served six terms in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, where he chaired the House Utilities Committee and Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, was vice-chair of the Human Services Committee, and served as House Majority Leader. Prior to that, he worked for President George W.

GigFire, Formerly LTD Broadband, Makes Illinois Acquisition

Fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) provider GigFire has acquired Rural Comm, a service provider headquartered in Farina (IL). GigFire, which now operates in ten Midwestern states, was known as LTD Broadband until earlier in 2023.

Advertising Watchdog: It’s OK to Just Say Speed to Mean Broadband Download Speed

Charter Communications has prevailed in its appeal of a decision by the BBB National Program’s National Advertising Division (NAD) about speed claims in its broadband advertising. The appeal was upheld by the National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the appellate advertising body of BBB National Programs.

Tennessee Gets Set to Dish Out $185M for Rural Broadband Deployments

The state of Tennessee will begin accepting applications in September 2023 for $185 million in grant funding for broadband deployments in unserved and underserved areas.

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.

Verizon Executive Details Pennsylvania Funding Win, Company Also Gets Virginia Money

Verizon won broadband funding from two Pennsylvania counties recently. Verizon Vice President of Business Operations for Wireline Networks Doug Sullivan offered details about the wins, which are for areas where the company has begun deploying its Fios fiber broadband service. The Pennsylvania awards were for Washington and Westmoreland counties.