Diana Goovaerts

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.

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.

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.

Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg highlighted continued momentum in its Fios business but pointed to fixed wireless access as a key tool in its quest to expand its broadband reach further and faster.

Former Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler argued incumbent cable operators are in prime position to scoop up federal broadband funding and have little to fear from potential overbuild activity.

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.

President Joe Biden’s administration recently announced a raft of nominations for various posts, but picks for four key telecommunications roles at the Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) remain outstanding. Eight months into Biden’s presidency, both agencies sit without permanent leaders.

New operator IQ Fiber is looking to give AT&T and Comcast a run for their money in Florida, starting with a greenfield deployment to some 60,000 locations in Jacksonville. Though its initial plan will see it offer service in Jacksonville starting in early Q2 of 2022, the company is eyeing an opportunity to expand across at least four counties, including Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns. The company is deploying an XGS-PON fiber network and plans to offer three service tiers with symmetrical speeds of 250 Mbps for $65 per month, 500 Mbps for $75 per month and 1 gig for $85 per month.

Billions in federal funding have been made available to expand broadband access since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) CEO Claude Aiken argued some of that money is being wasted on wireline rollouts in areas already covered by fixed wireless access service.