BROADBAND NEWS

1. Hilliary Communications to Acquire TDS Telecom’s Oklahoma Holdings. Hilliary Communications’ pending acquisition of TDS Telecom’s network in OK would add almost 35,000 addresses to its footprint, many of which are in rural locations. Upgrade planning will immediately begin, including FTTH networks, modernization of infrastructure, and “future-ready” broadband and communications services. This is Hilliary Communications’ eighth acquisition of independent or regional assets since 2016. The company serves 22 counties in Oklahoma, Texas, and Iowa and is headquartered in Medicine Park, Oklahoma. It is in the midst of investing more than $250 million in the three states. Read more

2. Arielle Roth confirmed to lead up NTIA by Senate vote. With a 52-52 vote along party lines, Arielle Roth has been confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information. With the role, Roth will also serve as Administrator of the NTIA. The agency is tasked with overseeing the government’s $42.45 billion BEAD Program. Read more

3. Fiber broadband industry celebrating the passage of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill.” The bill allows providers to deduct 100 percent of equipment purchases and capital expenditures in the deployment year—a significant increase from the prior 40 percent deduction rate spread over many years. Such a change is expected to unlock billions in freed-up cash for providers, setting the stage for potentially substantial infrastructure growth. Read more

4. NTIA Approves Updated BEAD Initial Proposals from All 56 States and Territories. With the NTIA approval, every state was now able to conduct a “Benefit of the Bargain” round that will determine which internet-service providers receive funds. States have until September 4, 2025, to submit a final proposal that includes the results of at least one “Benefit of the Bargain” round. The NTIA also released a dashboard showing each state and territory’s BEAD progress. According to that dashboard, 48 states and territories have started a “Benefit of the Bargain” round. Read more

5. Starlink May Only Meet Federal Standards in Most Rural Areas. Starlink may only meet federal broadband speed requirements in areas with extremely low population density, according to a new technical analysis. Starlink may not be able to meet the NTIA’s required 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload speed threshold “wherever the number of locations subscribing to the service is greater than 6 households per square mile within a beam’s coverage area.” If true, that would preclude Starlink from receiving funding for all but the most rural of locations through the NTIA’s $42.45 million BEAD program. Read more

6. California lawmaker drops push for affordable broadband. California Assemblymember Tasha Boerner has dropped her proposal to mandate affordable broadband to low-income subscribers. Her decision reportedly came after Trump Administration officials told her California could lose access to BEAD funds as a result. Read more

7. The Future of ReConnect. The Senate Appropriations Committee recently approved the fiscal year 2026 budget for the Department of Agriculture. Buried within that budget is $100 million dollars for new ReConnect loans or grants. The $100 million is a preliminary number, but it’s already lower than previous annual allocations to the program. ReConnect has been a popular program, particularly with cooperatives and small telcos. ReConnect was launched in December 2018 by Congress with an initial budget of $600 million. Additional funds continue to be allocated, including $550 million in 2020 and $1.15 billion in 2021. The USDA is still sitting on $980 million of remaining appropriated funds, but is also sitting on $3 million in funding requests. The fundamental challenge is that the FCC is likely to declare soon that the rural broadband gap has been solved (with BEAD) and every rural home in the country is able to buy adequate broadband. The USDA may not be able to overcome that presumption. Read more

8. Construction company Tilson calls out AT&T’s Gigapower in a lawsuit. Network construction company Tilson is suing AT&T’s Gigapower, alleging it owes Tilson employees more than $200 million in payments for fiber work. Tilson filed a lawsuit on July 24th, claiming Gigapower terminated its contract “for convenience,” forcing Tilson to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to try to recoup its finances. Gigapower initially enlisted Tilson in 2022 to construct fiber networks that cost approximately $600 million in Nevada and Arizona—a contract that made Gigapower Tilson’s largest customer. Read more

9. How the Big 3 think about their fiber growth strategy. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon collectively want to deploy fiber to about 119M U.S. locations. Read more

10. Satellite isn’t a better replacement for fiber – here’s why. Satellite broadband coverage is hindered by capacity and latency limitations. Consumer satellite internet costs remain high compared to fiber. Read more

FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS

1. Tillman Fiber expands FL presence with T-Mobile Fiber partnership. Building on their established presence in St. Petersburg and Lakeland, Tillman Fiber has launched fiber-internet services in several new locations across Florida.  As a result, residents in Northport, Kissimmee, Deltona, and Hernando County can connect to Tillman Fiber’s network through T-Mobile Fiber, with which Tillman Fiber has a partnership. Read more

2. Glo Fiber announces fiber expansion in York County, PA. Glo Fiber, a broadband service powered by Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (Shentel), has announced plans to extend its FTTH internet services to three communities in York County, Pennsylvania: Hallam Borough, Hellam Township, and Wrightsville Borough. This latest expansion will connect over 2,000 additional homes and businesses to Glo Fiber’s all-fiber network, complementing the 27,000 locations already served within the county. Engineering activities are reportedly in progress, with the build-out expected to be completed by 2026. Read more

3. Gateway Fiber, WANRack, and KWIKOM to Unify Under Gateway Fiber Name. Gateway Fiber announced that the combined company formed through its merger with E-Rate provider WANRack and consumer broadband company KWIKOM will operate under the Gateway Fiber name. Beginning immediately, all Gateway Fiber and KWIKOM residential and business fiber internet services will be offered exclusively under the Gateway Fiber brand. WANRack’s E-Rate educational services will continue under the name “WANRack powered by Gateway Fiber” through the end of 2025, with a full transition to the Gateway Fiber brand expected in 2026. Read more

4. Blue Owl Capital to Acquire FL Network Provider South Reach Networks. Intermetro Fiber, a Florida infrastructure provider that does business as South Reach Networks (SRN), has been acquired by Blue Owl Capital’s Digital Infrastructure fund.  SRN provides dark and lit fiber infrastructure in a 370-mile network from Jacksonville to Miami. Read more

5. Astound Announces $81M Investment for Northeast Pennsylvania Fiber. Once complete, the project will provide more than 315,000 homes and nearly 25,000 area businesses with access to Astound’s fiber network. Read more

6. Greenlight Networks to Expand to 16K More Homes in Orange County, New York. Greenlight Networks is expanding upon its commitment to Orange County, bringing next-generation FTTH connectivity to more Hudson Valley neighborhoods, businesses, and community organizations. Greenlight’s current build plan includes an additional investment of more than $24 million into the county as it increases access to an additional 16,200 homes over the next 12 months. Read more

7. Spectrum’s broadband expansion reaches an additional 800 homes and businesses in Ottawa County, MI. Spectrum has recently expanded its broadband services and is now offering gigabit internet to nearly 800 additional homes and small businesses in Ottawa County, MI. The expansion covers areas such as Chester, Crockery, Grand Haven, and Polkton and Wright townships. The effort is part of Spectrum’s wider multi-year rural construction initiative, backed by over $7 billion in private investment. The initiative aims to roll out more than 100,000 miles of new fiber-optic network infrastructure. Read more

8. Vero Fiber Makes Another Acquisition: Ting Assets in the Southwest. Vero Fiber, a subsidiary of Clearnetworx, has officially acquired fiber infrastructure from Ting across key portions of Montezuma and La Plata counties, Colorado, and San Juan County, New Mexico. The acquisition of Ting infrastructure continues Vero Fiber’s recent history of acquisitions. In June, Vero Fiber announced it would acquire BendTel, Inc., a locally owned and operated broadband provider in Central Oregon. Read more

9. Vero Fiber to roll out FTTH services in Arcata, CA. Vero Fiber is preparing to introduce its FTTH internet services in Arcata, California, with construction having started in May and initial customer connection expected in summer 2025. The network is entirely fiber optic. Read more

10. 123NET Completes Southfield-to-Lansing Michigan Fiber Route. A new 90-mile underground fiber route connecting Southfield to Lansing is now complete, delivering enhanced speed, redundancy, and improved connectivity across southeast and mid-Michigan. This privately funded, multi-million-dollar project was developed by three Michigan-based telecommunications leaders: 123NET, DayStarr Communications, and Peninsula Fiber Network (PFN). Read more