General

Broadband Bytes, August 2026 Issue 2

BROADBAND NEWS:1. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Provisional Awards. Updated: August 25, 2026 11:30am Pacific time. Updated Comprehensive BEAD Awards.  BEAD Progress Dashboard2. Texas pauses BEAD disbursements after allegations it favored Starlink. The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) has been ordered to pause all BEAD awards, following allegations that the BDO favored SpaceX’s Starlink bids and that the office has not been transparent in its processes. There have been rumblings out of Texas for weeks now, with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle complaining that the BDO showed favoritism toward Starlink, whose parent company SpaceX happens to be headquartered in Texas. Lawmakers called for an audit of the BDO over concerns about the BEAD award process. This has resulted in the Comptroller’s pause on BEAD awards while the audit is being conducted. TX pauses BEAD awards after allegations it favored Starlink3. Change of Railroad Rights-of-way? The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals made a recent ruling that could end up eliminating one of the biggest rights-of-way issues that slow down fiber construction projects. In the case of CSX Transportation v. Zayo Group, LLC, the court ruled that the easement that CSX owns for its railroad tracks only applies to the surface of the Earth and that the railroad right-of-way does not extend either above or below the tracks. The court said specifically that the installation of underground fiber lines or overhead fiber lines that are tall enough not to interfere with trains does not constitute “continuous trespass”. This ruling means that Zayo is free to place the fiber without the railroad company’s permission and that Zayo doesn’t have to pay any fees for the rights-of-way. It’s likely that this ruling will be appealed. Change for Railroad Rights-of-way?4. Are Digital Equity Grants Back? There seems to be a chance that the Digital Equity Competitive Grant (DECG) Program is back in play. In a status report filed by the Department of Commerce in the lawsuit where NDIA filed to reinstate the grant program, the government said it is targeting a December 2026 opening date for applications for the DECG Program. Like everything associated with BEAD and the DECG programs, nothing is final until it is put in place. The DECG Program will be administered and the grants awarded directly by NTIA. The budget for this grant program is $1.25 billion, which was set by legislation to be $250 million per year for the years 2022 through 2026. Are Digital Equity Grants Back5. Charter closes landmark acquisition of Cox. Charter Communications has closed its dual acquisition of Cox Communications and Liberty Broadband, creating a cable operator spanning 45 states.  Charter will rename its parent company to Cox Communications within a year while keeping its consumer products under the Spectrum banner. On the commercial front, Spectrum Business will absorb Cox Business and its enterprise fiber arms Segra and RapidScale. At the consumer layer, Spectrum is immediately offering legacy Cox broadband subscribers a free year of Spectrum Mobile to aggressively drive its wireless convergence playbook. Charter closes landmark acquisition of Cox  Charter and Cox complete merger-Telecompetitor6. NTIA approves final BEAD program proposal. The NTIA announced that it has approved Illinois’ BEAD final proposal. NTIA has now approved the BEAD final proposals of all 56 states and territories. The state of Illinois received a total BEAD allocation of slightly more than $1 billion. Its final proposal will result in total deployment costs of $831 million, covering 142,546 eligible broadband locations. Fiber will account for 68.1% of locations; fixed wireless access will account for 23.6%; and low-Earth-orbit satellite will get 8.1% of locations. NTIA approves final BEAD program proposal7. Meta reaches landmark $18B settlement with states in trial over teen social media addiction. 8/26/26. Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms as part of a landmark legal settlement that ended a trial over teen social media addiction and settled claims filed by nearly every state. If approved by the court, the deal will stop an avalanche of litigation by states against Meta, although the company still faces lawsuits from individuals and school districts throughout the U.S. For the states, the settlement delivers money for mental-health programs for kids, including after-school or summer activities and digital literacy counselors. Meta reaches $18B settlement with states8. UCL Swift Launches SWIFT NID. UCL Swift announced the introduction of SWIFT NID, a wall-mounted network interface device (NID) designed to simplify fiber installation at residential and small-office/home-office (SOHO) locations while providing a clearly defined demarcation point between the service provider network and customer premises equipment (CPE). The SWIFT NID is available in two configurations: Standard and Quick Reel, giving network operators flexibility to select the installation approach best suited to their deployment. UCL Swift Launches SWIFT NID   UCL SWIFT NIDFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Virginia broadband project is back on track as ZiTEL steps in. Moneta, Virginia-based internet provider ZiTEL has signed an agreement to take over a major regional broadband expansion across Franklin, Henry, and Patrick counties in Virginia. ZiTEL will complete the remaining scope of the West Broadband Project, which aims to bring 14,161 fiber internet connections to unserved areas by the end of 2027. ZiTEL replaces original provider RiverStreet Networks, which was unable to finish the buildout after failing to secure remaining capital. VA broadband project back on track with ZiTEL2. IdeaTek to acquire Wave Wireless. Wave Wireless is becoming part of IdeaTek, according to an announcement on the Wave Wireless website. IdeaTek will consider extending fiber service to areas now served by Wave Wireless’s fixed wireless network while continuing coverage for existing customers.  A little more than a year ago, Oak Hill Capital and Pamlico Capital announced investments in IdeaTek and Socket Telecom, service providers headquartered in Kansas and Missouri, respectively, and the combination of the two companies into a single entity. At the time, the goal was for the combined company to pass more than 500,000 homes in the Midwest by 2028. IdeaTek to acquire Wave Wireless3. Wire 3 $40M expansion to Athens, Georgia. Wire 3, a 100% fiber internet provider, announced its continued expansion across Georgia with plans to bring its fiber network to Athens. Through a $40 million investment, Wire 3’s expansion will reach more than 39,000 homes and businesses. Construction is anticipated to begin this fall. Wire 3 $40M expansion to Athens, GA4. Fiber construction begins on New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo. Tribal members on the Laguna Pueblo will soon have access to high-speed internet after a broadband fiber infrastructure project — paid for by two state broadband office grants and the Pueblo — began construction on July 29. More than 100 miles of fiber is being installed to homes, businesses and Tribal community institutions on the Pueblo in Cibola County from broadband grants totaling $13.9M.  The Pueblo of Laguna has also contributed to these projects with its own cash match totaling $12.1M for a total project budget of $26M.  The Pueblo of Laguna Council has determined that one of its own entities, K’awaika Hanu Internet, the current wireless ISP, will become the FTTP internet service provider for the Pueblo’s fiber network once operational. Fiber construction begins on NM Laguna Pueblo5. Coos-Curry Electric Co-op Completes Biggest Fiber Expansion in History. Oregon’s Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative  and its subsidiary Beacon Broadband say they have completed the biggest fiber expansion project in the cooperative’s history expanding Internet access to thousands of previously unserved rural households in the Southern part of Oregon. The six-year, $60 million project was the largest infrastructure investment in the cooperative's 88-year history. 7,000 of the co-op’s 14,000 electrical customers are now subscribed to broadband service after the deployment of 14,000 miles of fiber optic lines. Coos-Curry Electric Co-op Fiber Expansion6. Vero Broadband to acquire MontanaSky. In a deal that impacts broadband in northwest Montana, Vero Fiber will acquire Montana Sky Networks.  MontanaSky, founded 30 years ago, has offices in Kalispell and Libby, Montana. Vero Broadband LLC is a subsidiary of VFN Holdings, which specializes in fiber-to-the-premises. Before the acquisition of MontanaSky, Vero Broadband expanded into Montana in March 2025 with the acquisition of Montana Digital, which served the Montana communities of Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Kalispell and Whitefish. Vero Fiber to acquire MontanaSky7. Pilot Fiber completes acquisition of Extenet Systems’ enterprise fiber business. Pilot Fiber, an enterprise connectivity provider in the New York metro area, has acquired the enterprise fiber business of Extenet Systems. The acquired network, including the former Hudson Fiber Network and Axiom Fiber Network assets, now operates under Pilot’s ownership.  The transaction extends Pilot’s owned fiber network into New Jersey and adds more than 20 data centers to its footprint. About 200 additional enterprise, carrier, and institutional customers across financial services, healthcare, media, and higher education will also transition onto Pilot’s network. Pilot Fiber acquires Extenet Sytstems' enterprise fiber business8. Star Communications NC Fiber Expansion. Star Communications, announced the completion of its USDA ReConnect grant-funded FTTH expansion project, bringing high-speed broadband service to underserved communities in Bladen and Sampson counties.  Funded through a $23.7 million ReConnect grant from the USDA, along with a $7.9 million investment from Star Communications, the project significantly expanded fiber-optic infrastructure into areas that previously lacked access to affordable, high-quality broadband service. The project constructed approximately 691 miles of fiber-optic infrastructure and made fiber broadband available to 8,749 households, 19 businesses, 10 educational facilities, and three critical community centers. Star Communications NC Fiber Expansion9. ISP News Roundup 08-26-2026. Broadband Communities ISP News Roundup 8-26-26    Broadband Bytes is a weekly collection of broadband news highlights from leading industry resourcescompiled by David Levine, RCDD. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois Universityand a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions. 

Aug 29, 2026

General

Broadband Bytes, August 2026 Issue 1

BROADBAND NEWS: 1. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Provisional Awards. Updated: July 17, 2026 2:00pm Pacific time. California’s final BEAD proposal was finally approved by the NTIA. The state became the 49th to have its final BEAD proposal approved, and now only Illinois remains. Updated Comprehensive BEAD Awards.  BEAD Progress Dashboard2. The digital divide lingers, especially in the western states. A new assessment of the nation’s broadband profile from Compare Internet found that the digital divide between rural and urban areas is highest in Idaho, with a 53.9% gap. It is followed by New Mexico (a 48.8-point gap), Wyoming (a 47.5%-point gap), Colorado (a 45.1%-point gap) and California (a 44.3%-point gap). The analysis made an important methodological decision by counting only fiber, cable, and DSL in its assessment. The rationale is that including wireless pushes virtually every state to 99% availability because these providers claim near ubiquity. The report aims to illustrate the real-world differences. Digital divide liners, especially in western states3. Upcoming NTIA Webinar: Permitting That Delivers August 26, 2026 3:00pm EST. Permitting That Delivers: Practical Tools & Strategies for Broadband Buildouts. NTIA will host a webinar highlighting the importance of taking an informed, proactive approach to permitting across a range of diverse broadband projects. NTIA Webinar Permitting That Delivers4. Fiber broadband spurs consumer AI usage. People who have a fiber broadband connection are doing more with AI than people who don’t have a fiber connection, according to new research from Recon Analytics, which surveys 6,000 people per week about AI. People who have fiber broadband typically ask 28.5 questions per AI session. But the number of questions goes down with the quality of their connection. For instance, fiber sessions are 50% more intensive than cable network sessions. Fiber broadband spurs consumer AI usage5. White House Nominates Danielle Thumann for FCC Spot. The short-staffed FCC could soon be getting a new commissioner after President Trump nominated lawyer Danielle Thumann to fill one of two empty seats at the agency. Thumann has already done two stints at the FCC, serving as a legal advisor to then-Commissioner Brendan Carr from 2021 to 2023 before returning to the same role in 2024. She was promoted to senior counsel for now Chairman Carr in January 2025. In between her roles at the FCC, Thumann worked as a senior government relations attorney at Crown Castle. Thumann could give the agency a stronger GOP tilt as it weighs key telecom and media issues. WH Nominates Danielle Thumann For FCC Spot6. Foreign Ownership of ISPs. The FCC’s Wireless Competition Bureau has approved the transfer of WideOpenWest to Japan’s Softbank Group. WideOpenWest is the eighth-largest cable company, which operates under the brand name of WOW! The proposed transaction has Softbank buying the DigitalBridge Group, which is WOW!’s majority owner.  There has been a statutory limit on foreign ownership in U.S. corporations that hold common carrier status or hold broadcast licenses that was created by the Telecommunications Act of 1934. However, the FCC has the ability to waive the 25% limit if it thinks the foreign ownership is in the public interest. Foreign Ownership of ISPs7. The Farm Bill Fight That Will Shape Rural Broadband. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, held a markup hearing on his version of the Farm Bill on August 6. It didn’t go very well. The long-delayed meeting was unable to move the bill forward.  Inside the Farm Bill’s rural development title is a provision that governs the future of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect broadband program. ReConnect has provided more than $4.4 billion in loans and grants for rural broadband deployment since 2018, reaching some of America’s most remote and expensive-to-serve communities. As Congress debates how to strengthen ReConnect, the program faces pressure. Farm Bill Fight Will Shape Rural Broadband8. Zayo teams with NVIDIA on 8,000-mile AI fiber expansion. Zayo announced a major network expansion in collaboration with NVIDIA to address growing bandwidth bottlenecks facing artificial intelligence in North America. The company said they plan to construct more than 8,000 miles of new long-haul fiber across six new corridors while boosting capacity in 10 existing markets.  The initiative is part of a 15,000-route-mile expansion Zayo has undertaken over the past 18 months, coming on the heels of its acquisition of Crown Castle’s Fiber Solutions business. Zayo Teams With  NVIDIA on 8000 mile AI Fiber ExpansionFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Swyft Fiber acquires portions of Fastwyre’s fiber network in three southern states. Swyft Fiber, a Louisiana-based provider, has purchased Fastwyre Broadband’s fiber network serving customers in parts of Louisiana, Texas, and Alabama. The acquired systems made up Fastwyre’s South Central FTTH network, aligning with Swyft Fiber’s existing broadband offerings. The Fastwyre systems in Texas and Alabama sit outside the states Swyft Fiber currently services, making the purchase an expansion into new territory. Swyft Fiber acquires portions of Fastwire's fiber network2. Sparklight invests more than $140M in Treasure Valley, Idaho network. Sparklight has invested more than $140 million over the past three years to expand and enhance its fiber-rich network in Boise, Caldwell, Eagle, Meridian, Nampa, Star and surrounding areas. With a fiber-rich network spanning more than 31,000 route miles, Sparklight’s investments help create the infrastructure needed to support emerging technologies and increasing digital demands. Sparklight invests over $140M in ID network3. United Communications celebrates launch of Huntsville, Alabama service. United Communications has joined the Huntsville business community. The regional fiber internet provider has a rich history in southern Middle Tennessee, dating back nearly 80 years. United serves customers across Middle Tennessee—including Giles, Lincoln, and Franklin counties near the Alabama state line. Locally owned and operated since 1947, United reaches over 130,000 homes, and businesses. United Communications launches new service Huntsville AL4. CentraCom acquires Gunnison Telephone Company UT. CentraCom has acquired Gunnison Telephone Company. CentraCom is the operating name of Central Utah Telephone Inc., and was the state’s first independent rural telephone company. The company expanded from basic telephone service and now offers a statewide fiber network to customers across Utah. CentraCom was one of Utah’s provisional BEAD award winners, receiving more than $1.69 million. CentraCom acquires Gunnison Telephone UT5. Hawaii begins $149.5 million broadband expansion. The Office of the Governor and the University of Hawaii announced that $149.5 million in BEAD funding will support projects targeting about 7,000 unserved and underserved locations. About 82% of those locations are expected to receive fiber-optic service. The state has finalized a contract with Hawaiian Telcom to provide fiber-optic connections to about 5,800 homes that lack modern broadband access. Hawaii begins $149M broadband expansion6. IQ Fiber acquires Orangeburg Fiber. IQ Fiber, a Jacksonville, Florida-based provider of 100% fiber-optic internet service, announced the acquisition of Orangeburg Fiber’s network assets, extending the company’s South Carolina footprint and bringing its service to the City of Orangeburg. The acquisition and network deployment represents a $35 million investment in Orangeburg and includes an upgrade to the existing infrastructure as well as service expansion throughout the community. IQ Fiber acquires Orangeburg Fiber7. Decatur County REMC Leads Indiana's BEAD Rollout. Indiana Cooperatives are at the front of the pack as the state prepares to expand affordable fiber access on the back of $483 million in BEAD broadband grants. The first round of BEAD funding is expected to connect an estimated 123,000 Indiana households and businesses that currently have either substandard Internet access, or no access at all. All told, the state’s BEAD deployment plan is slated to expand affordable fiber access to 91 of Indiana's 92 counties. Last June, the Decatur County Rural Electric Membership Corporation (DCREMC) was the first of the state’s 24 BEAD grant awardees to sign a contract with the Indiana Broadband Office. The cooperative’s $7.1 million BEAD award will help extend fiber service to roughly 2,800 additional homes and businesses across the rural and sparsely populated communities across Decatur County. Decatur County REMC Leads IN BEAD Rollout8. ISP News Roundup 08-11-2026.  Broadband Communities ISP News Roundup 8-11-26   Broadband Bytes is a weekly collection of broadband news highlights from leading industry resourcescompiled by David Levine, RCDD. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois Universityand a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions. 

Aug 29, 2026

General

Broadband Bytes, July 2026 Issue 2

BROADBAND NEWS:1 Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Provisional Awards. Updated: July 17, 2026 2:00pm Pacific time. California’s final BEAD proposal was finally approved by the NTIA. The state became the 49th to have its final BEAD proposal approved, and now only Illinois remains. Updated Comprehensive BEAD Awards.  BEAD Progress Dashboard2. Full Merger for DT and T-Mobile? Deutsche Telekom (DT) has plans - for itself and T-Mobile. DT is already the biggest cellular company in the world with over 273 million mobile customers in fifty countries and is looking to potentially merge the two firms. (DT currently owns 54% of T-Mobile.) T-Mobile recognizes that the key to success is to own a large number of both fiber and cellular customers. The company has engaged in partnership deals to gain a share of fiber overbuilders. T-Mobile purchased a 50% stake in Metronet and engaged in a joint venture with EQT to acquire Lumos. Recently they purchased 50% of i3 Broadband, GoNetspeed, and Greenlight Networks. They also bought full ownership of US Internet in the Twin Cities. DT believes a merger is needed to give T-Mobile the resources it needs to fully succeed. Read more3. LEO operators might not take such a big slice of BEAD after all. Back in 2025, the BEAD Program looked like it would be awarding about 20% of locations to low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite operators. According to some reports, the NTIA has asked states to remove LEO BEAD project locations if they are now considered served per the latest FCC mapping data. States may be removing as many as 35% of locations that they awarded LEO operators. This translates to the removal of about 312,000 locations (roughly $354M in expenditures) that were slated to be served by LEO. Read more4. Digital Equity Act to move forward after court decision. The U.S. District Court of Washington, D.C. — via Judge John D. Bates — ruled that Digital Equity Act programs can and should resume. The programs must move forward without any of the Act’s original race-based factors though, which Judge Bates deemed unconstitutional. The Trump administration said they would comply with the court’s decision and reimplement the Act’s programs quickly, without the race-based provisions. Read more5. Digital Equity Act to move forward but… You may read headlines that lead you to believe that the courts have restored the Digital Equity Act. The ruling from Judge John D. Bates is a lot more complicated than that. The government argued that making grants based on race was unconstitutional. The court agreed with that argument, which is a big win for the Administration, since this is the first Court to so plainly agree with that assertion. But the Court further ruled that if grant requirements based on race are removed, the rest of the lawsuit can continue. So what’s next? Read more6. GAO Documents How NTIA Handled $47.7 Billion in Broadband Grants. On July 22nd, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report describing what happened to money Congress appropriated in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).  For broadband, the relevant agency is the NTIA, the Commerce Department bureau that administers the BEAD program. This is the first GAO product to put numbers on NTIA's post-January 2025 grant review, including how many awards were flagged, on what basis, and who made the decisions.  Read more7. How all 50 states are approaching data centers: Open arms, regulations, and more. The policy tracking firm MultiState counted more than 300 data center bills filed across over 30 states in the first six weeks of 2026, following more than 200 such bills in over 40 states in 2025. The result is a patchwork. Some states are still expanding incentives to land large projects, while others have reached for tools once reserved for emergencies, including outright moratoriums. The outcome matters for rural broadband providers because a recent Pew Research Center analysis found that about two-thirds of planned U.S. data centers are slated for rural areas, reversing a footprint that has been overwhelmingly urban. Read more8. America Movil agrees to acquire Peru broadband provider Wow. America Movil has agreed to acquire Peruvian fixed broadband provider Wow Peru from Liberty Latin America and its partners, strengthening the operator's position in Peru's growing fiber broadband market.  Liberty Latin America said its stake in Wow, along with those of its investment partners, will be sold to America Movil Peru, the local subsidiary of Mexico-based telecoms giant America Movil. Wow operates primarily as a 100% fiber internet service provider in Peru. The transaction remains subject to closing review. Read moreFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. GoNetspeed Fiber expansion Beverly, MA. GoNetspeed, announced that Beverly will become the next Massachusetts community to gain access to its 100% fiber-optic network. Through a privately funded $17.5 million investment, GoNetspeed’s expansion will expand its fiber network to more than 10,500 homes and businesses across the community. GoNetspeed is accelerating the expansion of its fiber networks across 11 states, including Massachusetts. Read more2. Virginia Fiber Express new VA Network. As data center campuses push south of Northern Virginia in search of land and power, a new fiber network aims to give hyperscale and AI operators a path that steers clear of the increasingly congested Interstate 95 corridor. Virginia Fiber Express Networks, a subsidiary of Infraforward Strategies LLC, announced that it had secured operating licenses, along with land use permits, from Virginia. The approvals clear the way for construction of Phase 1 of what the company describes as a planned six-phase fiber network eventually linking parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland. Virginia Fiber Express Networks, headquartered in Fredericksburg and Richmond, was registered in Virginia in March 2025and has been in development for roughly two years. Read more3. Ripple Fiber completes $20 million fiber build in the Outer Banks. Ripple Fiber, has completed its 100% fiber infrastructure project in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The $20M investment delivers fiber internet to over 20,000 homes and businesses across Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores, Duck, Kill Devil Hills, and Corolla, with additional expansion areas to be identified and built over time. Read more4. California approves $74M for rural fiber broadband. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) awarded funding for rural broadband through the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF). The money will support fiber broadband infrastructure reaching nearly 1,800 previously unserved homes and businesses. The CPUC approved three grant resolutions totaling up to $74,095,939, funding six infrastructure projects across the region. The approved awards were: a) Surfnet Communications: $33,197,090 for 1,293 unserved locations b) WiConduit and GigabitNow: $32,398,849 for 341 unserved locations. c) Hankins Information Technology:  $8,500,000 for 154 unserved locations. Read more5. Matanuska Telecom Association confirms $108M BEAD award. MTA has secured a $108 million BEAD award to help extend fiber broadband to more than 10,000 homes and businesses across its service area in Alaska. MTA’s recent work shows the scale of the build already underway. In 2025, the cooperative deployed 153 miles of fiber, upgraded 4,000 locations, and improved network capacity for more than 31,000 connections. Read more6. Wire 3 $43M fiber expansion Jacksonville, FL. Florida-based Wire 3 announced that more than 42,000 residents and businesses will gain access to Wire 3’s 100% fiber network, thanks to a fully funded $43 million investment. Wire 3 anticipates the first Jacksonville residents and businesses to be connected as early as this fall. Wire 3 now operates in at least 50 Florida communities. Read more7. Altafiber forms public-private partnership with Westerville, Ohio for fiber build. The City of Westerville, Ohio, and altafiber have formed a public-private partnership to bring a fiber network to the community without the city spending capital dollars on the infrastructure. Construction is expected to begin this summer, with altafiber aiming to reach residents within three years. altafiber plans to build to roughly 15,000 addresses in and around Westerville. altafiber, the operating name for Cincinnati Bell in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, has invested more than $1.5 billion in its Midwest fiber network. Read more8. ISP News Roundup. Read more   Broadband Bytes is a weekly collection of broadband news highlights from leading industry resourcescompiled by David Levine, RCDD. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois Universityand a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions. 

Aug 02, 2026

General

Broadband Bytes, July 2026 Issue 1

BROADBAND NEWS: 1. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Provisional Awards. Updated: July 7, 2026 2:00pm Pacific time. Updated Comprehensive BEAD Awards   BEAD Progress Dashboard2. Rural Broadband Customer Survey. Innovative Systems recently released its eleventh annual survey about rural household broadband usage. The survey was conducted in the first quarter of 2026 to consumers across the country. The survey asked about people’s interaction and satisfaction with their ISP, and includes other interesting findings. CCG-Rural Broadband Customer Survey  Telecompetitor-Rural Broadband Customer Survey3. FCC is urged to prepare for AI’s future infrastructure demands. The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) is urging the FCC to prepare for AI network infrastructure demands. In their filing, FBA President and CEO Gary Bolton stated that the rapid emergence of autonomous AI agents and workloads is shifting network demand from traditional human-driven traffic to continuous, machine-to-machine data “swarms” that route heavily between distributed GPU clusters and data centers. The FBA argues this paradigm shift requires urgent infrastructure upgrades focused on abundant bandwidth and ultra-low latency, triggering an era of explosive investment in fiber and associated electronics. Read more4. Supreme Court expands presidential firing power, overturning 90-year-old ruling. Could affect FCC and NTIA. The Supreme Court ruled that removal protections for members of the Federal Trade Commission are unconstitutional and overturned a 90-year-old decision that allowed Congress to shield members of certain independent agencies from being fired by the president at will. The decision from the high court expands the president's power over many independent boards and commissions, which Congress had insulated from political pressure by saying their members could only be removed by the president for cause. In a 1935 decision in a case known as Humphrey's Executor v. United States, which involved removal protections for the FTC, the Supreme Court said Congress could restrict the president's ability to fire officials from multi-member agencies at will. But the ruling from the high court's conservative majority in the case Trump v. Slaughter overturns that 90-year-old decision. Read more5. FCC may reduce broadband label demands for providers. The FCC plans to consider a proposal later this month that would update its broadband consumer label rules to reduce compliance burdens for service providers.  According to a July 1 FCC fact sheet, the draft report and order would simplify disclosure requirements if adopted at the FCC’s July 22 open meeting. The document states that the initial ruling created complex labels that strayed beyond the statutory framework and increased administrative costs. Read more6. The Future of State Broadband Offices. Pew recently wrote an article that cautioned that States Must Consider Future of Broadband Offices. They note that some states have a sunset date embedded in the enabling legislation that will mean the end of State Broadband Offices if state legislatures don’t act. Most States are busy right now trying to get BEAD grants in place with ISPs. BEAD grant construction is supposed to conclude in four years, and States are on the hook to verify that construction meets the BEAD specifications.  Will those state broadband offices be there to do so? Read more7. Canada Broadband Market 2026. Reference Article on the Broadband Market in Canada in 2026: including Best ISPs and Fiber Broadband Expansion. Read more8. CIB and partners to invest $165 million to expand broadband service in Manitoba. Under the terms of the agreement, the CIB (Canada Infrastructure Bank) will loan $26.9 million towards the approximately $165 million project. Valley Fiber will be responsible for all aspects of construction, installation, operations and maintenance of the new broadband service. The project involves deployment of 1,224 km of fiber-optic cable, allowing high-speed internet access to approximately 7,800 underserved households with dedicated FTTH in rural municipalities, including four First Nations communities. Read moreFUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Washington state awards $5.1M in ARPA broadband grants. The Washington State Public Works Board (PWB) — using money from its Coronavirus Capital Project Fund, part of ARPA —has awarded communities in Island, Kitsap, and Okanogan counties a total of $5.1 million for four broadband projects.  The awards include fiber projects with Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and Whidbey Telephone Company, Island County. Read more2. TDS fiber expansion in Central Wisconsin. TDS will expand its high-speed all-fiber internet network in Central Wisconsin, bringing a new choice of internet, TV providers, and phone and mobile services to more communities in the Badger State. The Wisconsin-based company plans to bring its services to Ripon, Beaver Dam, Waupun, Lomira, Theresa, Horicon, Brownsville, Juneau, and Iron Ridge, serving a total of more than 29,000 homes and businesses. Construction is expected to begin later this year. Read more3. Ezee Fiber expansion in Illinois communities. Houston based Fiber internet provider, Ezee Fiber, announced the expansion of its fiber-optic network across Chicagoland, with construction underway in Streamwood, Roselle, Downers Grove, Naperville, Oak Brook and Bartlett, extending the company’s footprint in the state and bringing service within reach of thousands of additional homes and businesses. The expansion follows Ezee Fiber’s $400 million investment in Chicagoland announced in July 2025. The company established an office in Elk Grove Village and employs approximately 25 people. Read more4. Ziply grows fiber footprint in Northwest. Ziply Fiber is beginning construction this summer in multiple regions in the Northwest US, with work beginning in the states of Idaho, Washington and Oregon. In Idaho, Ziply will start work this summer to reach more than 1700 homes and businesses.  In Washington, Ziply Fiber is expanding to approximately 20,000 homes and businesses and in Oregon, Ziply Fiber will start construction this summer to reach 1,600 homes and businesses. Ziply Fiber was acquired by Bell Canada (BCE) in August 2025. Read more5. Intrepid Fiber to acquire Ubiquity network in San Diego County. Open access infrastructure provider Intrepid Fiber Networks has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ubiquity’s southern California network. Assuming the deal closes, Intrepid will gain 35,000 fiber passings in the San Diego County communities of Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Oceanside. The company currently has active fiber construction in Corona, Riverside, Vista, and San Marcos. This would give Intrepid, which is a Brookfield Infrastructure portfolio company, more than 100,000 home and business passings in the region. Read more6. California approves nearly $53M for rural and Tribal broadband. California regulators approved nearly $53M in new grants to expand broadband access in some of the state’s most underserved rural and Tribal communities. The four projects are expected to bring high-speed broadband access to more than 1,000 previously unserved locations. Tribal communities nationwide also gained access to new federal funding options in June, when the NTIA opened applications for two grant programs worth a combined $790 million. Read more7. Oregon announces reassigned awardees for BEAD projects. The Oregon Broadband Office (OBO) announced preliminary replacement awardees in the BEAD program. Those companies will take over projects that were declined by the initially chosen providers. Two rounds of competitive reassignment yielded six replacement providers for Oregon’s BEAD program: Alyrica, Amazon LEO, the City of Sherwood, Columbia County, Douglas Fast Net (DFN) and Stimulus Technologies. Four providers — Alyrica Networks, Columbia County, Douglas Fast Net/Douglas Services and Stimulus Technologies — are both initial awardees and reassigned awardees. Read more8. Bluepeak reaches 500K fiber passings. Bluepeak, a leading provider of high-speed fiber internet serving communities across Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Texas, and Wyoming, announced the company has now passed 500,000 homes and businesses within its fiber network. Since launching new fiber expansion in 2021, Bluepeak has invested hundreds of millions of dollars across its six-state footprint to build a modern, FTTH network. Read more9. Race Communications Fiber expansion Fresno CA. Race Communications announced an expansion of its 100% FTTH network into the City of Fresno. Continuing to build on its statewide initiatives, Race is pouring even more into the Central Valley and Fresno, initially bringing more than 38,000 homes and businesses access to an all-fiber network. initial construction throughout Fresno is anticipated to begin this fall.  Across California, Race has invested more than $650M and has an additional investment of more than $200M underway for 2026 to build out the company’s all-fiber network. Read more10. ISP News Roundup Broadband Communities ISP Roundup-7-10-23   Broadband Bytes is a weekly collection of broadband news highlights from leading industry resourcescompiled by David Levine, RCDD. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois Universityand a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions. 

Aug 02, 2026

General

UCL Swift Summer2026 Quarterly Newsletter

This quarter at UCL Spotlight on Steve HarrisVice President of Sales & Marketing, BroadbandThis quarter, UCL Swift welcomed Steve Harris to the team—and the impact has been immediate.Steve brings more than 30 years of broadband leadership experience to his role, with expertise spanning telecommunications, network engineering, technology deployment, workforce development, and industry standards. He is also widely recognized across the industry as a thought leader, educator, and engaging speaker who connects technical knowledge with real-world application.In his first six months alone, Steve has represented UCL Swift at some of the industry’s most respected events, including:- SCTE Chapter Leadership Conference- MACTA- BCAP- Connect (X)- Fiber ConnectThere, he’s shared insights into UCL Swift’s total-solution partnership and fostered key relationships with industry professionals. We’re proud to have Steve on the team and look forward to the continued impact he’ll bring to UCL Swift and the broader broadband community.Read more about Steve >Build and Scale Highly Efficient Networks Swift-FX Solution The Swift FX solution is designed to deliver unmatched connectivity right to your doorstep. Whether it’s new construction or dropping fiber optic links from existing infrastructure, this industry-changing solution delivers the performance required by the service provider and the flexibility desired by contractors.Showing Up Where It Matters This quarter was full of incredible trade shows across the nation. Q2 found the UCL team at:- Iowa Communications Alliance | March 23-25, 2026- TCEI Expo | March 31–April 2, 2026- MACTA 2026 Mid-America Show | April 6-7, 2026- TANE Spring Symposium | April 7-9, 2026- NTTA Tribal Broadband National Summit | April 7-10, 2026- BCAP Pennsylvania Broadband Summit | April 8-9, 2026- SCTE Ontario Chapter ​Spring Show | April 15, 2026- Graybar National Training Conference | April 23-25, 2026- Connect(X) WIA Connectivity Expo | May 4-6, 2026- FBA Fiber Connect | May 17-20, 2026- CCTA Annual Conference | May 24-26, 2026 Thank you to everyone who visited our booth, attended a session, or participated in a training. These are the conversations that drive us to continue innovating and delivering future-focused fiber solutions.Your secret to educated industry conversations.For leaders and teams making decisions in a fast-moving industry, staying informed shouldn’t slow you down.Our bimonthly broadband newsletter contains highlights from leading industry resources and is expertly compiled by David Levine, RCDD.Subscribe Today >

Jun 30, 2026

General

Broadband Bytes, June 2026 Issue 2

BROADBAND NEWS:1. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Provisional Awards. Updated: May 18, 2026 8:15 am Pacific time. Updated Comprehensive BEAD Awards.  Progress Dashboard.2. Private equity firm Grain combines fiber operators Great Plains and Ritter. The private equity firm Grain Management is combining two of its fiber operators — Ritter Communications and Great Plains Communications — into one entity called Rightfiber. Rightfiber will serve more than 300,000 locations and continue deploying more fiber broadband. Great Plains Communications is based in Blair, Nebraska, and serves nearly 200 communities across various states. Ritter Communications is based in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and serves 197 communities in multiple states. Rightfiber is tentatively planned to be based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Read more.3. LOGIX announces Texas long-haul route. LOGIX Fiber Networks — which serves Texas — has deployed a multi-terabit wavelength route for an enterprise client. The network enables scalable connectivity between Houston, Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth. LOGIX declined to identify the client. LOGIX said that its network spans more than 300,000 fiber miles and connects to thousands of enterprise locations and more than 80 data centers in the Lonestar State. Read more.4. School connectivity advocates push back against E-Rate scrutiny. Earlier this month, the FCC released two notices of proposed rulemaking, proposing a renewed focus on—and potentially a sunset of—the agency’s E-Rate program. According to the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB), E-Rate advocates this month have met with FCC officials, advising them the FCC lacks the statutory authority to cancel the Congressionally conceived program. The FCC will further consider the matter at their open meeting on June 25. Read more.5. Telecom associations warn of US memory chip shortage.  A coalition of telecom trade associations is warning that rapid AI expansion is causing a critical shortage of U.S. memory chips. In a June 3 letter addressed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the groups outlined the critical challenges posed by surging demand for memory chips driven by the rapid expansion of AI data centers. The letter emphasizes the “unprecedented surge in the price of memory chips and reduced supply of these chips for manufacturing and consumer-facing industries.”  It also warns of immediate and near-term impacts, including rising prices for everyday electronics, increased costs for telecommunications infrastructure, and risks to other market sectors. Read more.6. FCC Questioning State Pole Regulation Continued. An FCC Public Notice asks for comments on the effectiveness of regulations in States that have chosen to regulate pole attachments, meaning rules that regulate how telcos and others get access to poles that are in the public right-of-way. Comments are due on the Public Notice by July 13, 2026. States were given the right to regulate pole attachments in Section 224 of the 1934 Communications Act. Twenty-three States have elected to regulate poles over the years, and the FCC has created regulations for the States that have not done so. Read more.7. Astound, other ISPs, decline Oregon BEAD awards. The Oregon Broadband Office (OBO) announced that while most selected providers accepted their funding under the BEAD Program, several declined.  Sixteen providers—including Comcast, Starlink, and various local co-ops—accepted their awards to bring reliable connectivity to thousands of underserved households and businesses. However, a handful of providers rejected contracts, leaving 13,381 broadband-serviceable locations temporarily in limbo. Astound, which announced plans to merge with GFiber this year in March, walked away from the majority of these projects, declining fiber and mixed technology builds across ten different district grant areas. State officials noted that a backup plan is already underway to find new takers for the orphaned zones. Read more. FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Conexon Connect nears completion of third Florida fiber project. Conexon Connect, the ISP formed by Conexon, has neared completion of its FTTH network project in partnership with Glades Electric Cooperative. The 1,600-mile Connect fiber network now spans Glades, Hendry, Highlands and Okeechobee counties, covering the vast majority of the Moore Haven, Florida-based cooperative’s footprint. Conexon Connect continues to expand its footprint in the state, now reaching more than 40,000 homes and businesses across rural Florida. Read more.2. California grants $18.2M for rural fiber. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved more than $18.2 million in broadband grants to support broadband infrastructure, regional planning, and digital inclusion programs across the state. The funding covers fiber construction in rural Northern California, planning grants reaching 16 counties, and digital literacy efforts in underserved communities. Nearly $14.7 million went to four fiber-optic projects from Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications. The awards will bring service to 460 unserved homes across Lassen, Plumas, and Sierra counties. Read more.3. Sertex Broadband grows in Maine and acquires Trenchworks Inc. Sertex Broadband Solutions has acquired Trenchworks Inc., a Maine-based telecommunications construction company well-versed in aerial and underground fiber optic infrastructure deployment. With the addition of Trenchworks, Sertex says they’ve immediately increased their construction capacity in the region. Read more.4. ImOn Communications breaks ground on $100 million fiber network in Duluth. ImOn Communications is breaking ground on a new fiber network in Duluth, part of what the company estimates is a $100 million investment in local internet infrastructure. The company says the new fiber build will reach about 25,000 homes this year. In 2027, it expects to connect another 26,000. Crews will install both underground and aerial fiber using existing utility poles. The project will roll out in sections, with work already underway. Read more.5. Application window opens for $790M in Tribal broadband grants. Application windows for two NOFO’s opened June 17 as the NTIA takes steps to make $790 million available for Tribal broadband. The NTIA’s June 17 release underscored the intent behind these funding opportunities is to help Tribal and Native nations focus on connecting their communities rather than struggling with bureaucratic processes. The application process for both funding opportunities opened on June 17, 2026, and will remain open until September 17, 2026. The NTIA also said they plan to award funds on a rolling basis, beginning in the spring of 2027. Read more.6. Intrepid Fiber Networks California Expansion. Wholesale open-access fiber provider Intrepid Fiber Networks, announced an expansion of its California network with a major investment to build FTTP infrastructure across the cities of Corona and Riverside in Riverside County. The deployment will bring fiber broadband to over 50,000 homes and businesses.  Construction is expected to begin immediately, with service available to residents and businesses in 2026. Read more.7. GoNetspeed fiber expansion into Salem, MA and more ISP news. ISP Roundup: Broadband Communitiess   Broadband Bytes is a weekly collection of broadband news highlights from leading industry resourcescompiled by David Levine, RCDD. David is a graduate of Northern Illinois Universityand a 35-year industry veteran in fiber and copper solutions. 

Jun 30, 2026