General

Broadband Bytes, December 2025 Issue 2

From all of us at UCL Swift we wish you a Happy Holiday Season and a joyful and prosperous new year.BROADBAND NEWS: 1. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Benefit of the Bargain Provisional Awards.  Last updated: Friday, December 19, 7:45 a.m. Pacific time. Read more.2. Trump Signs Executive Order to Neuter State A.I. Laws. President Trump signed an executive order that aims to neuter state laws that limit the artificial intelligence industry, a win for tech companies that have lobbied against regulation of the booming technology. The order grants broad authority to the attorney general to sue states and overturn laws that do not support the “United States’ global A.I. dominance,” putting dozens of A.I. safety and consumer protection laws at risk. If states keep their laws in place, Mr. Trump directed federal regulators to withhold funds for broadband (i.e., BEAD) and other projects. Read more.3. Trump administration to states: No BEAD non-deployment funds unless we control AI. The Trump administration has issued an executive order that would prevent states from receiving BEAD Program non-deployment funds if they do not cede control of artificial intelligence (AI) policy to them. “States with onerous AI laws identified pursuant to section 4 of this order are ineligible for non-deployment funds, to the maximum extent allowed by Federal law. Read more.4. Connected Nation BEAD Tracker. Connected Nations online BEAD Tracker aggregates data pulled from final proposals submitted by states and territories. The tracker includes key data from 95% of states and territories. Read more.5. Fiber shows record growth: FBA Survey. The survey found that, in 2025, fiber broadband deployments reached 11.8 million homes in the US — 98.3 million when homes with more than one passing are included. Canada had total of 14.5 million fiber passings, nearly three quarters of the country’s market. In the U.S., fiber broadband has now passed more than six in ten households, and is on pace to overtake cable and all other technologies as the dominant U.S. delivery platform as early as 2028. Read more.6. 'Perfect storm' in fiber supply? A shortage of fiber-optic cable equipment is blamed on AI data center demands as well as US protectionism.  Warnings about a US fiber crunch that could slow down broadband deployment have intensified since the summer. In August, Incab America, a Texan maker of fiber-optic cable, notified customers that "a significant fiber shortage is emerging" and blamed data centers for taking up all the fiber production capacity. Research by CRU forecasts surging demand for fiber-optic cable products from US data centers between now and 2030, creating supply constraints. Read more.7. Broadband Communities: Top 10 Stories 2025. From a BEAD stoppage to DEI drama, 2025 was a wild year for broadband. Broadband Communities looks back at some of the most popular posts over the past 12 months. Read more.8. Senators introduce a blueprint for allocation of BEAD non-deployment funds. The battle over whether and how states will use non-deployment funds from the $42.45 billion BEAD Program shows no sign of being settled. This week, senators from two states introduced a bill aimed at creating a structure for allocating the funds. The bill was introduced by Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia). A tremendous amount of money — estimates of $20 billion to $22 billion — will remain available after the deployment phase of the BEAD Program concludes. Read more.9. Dem senators want status quo on broadband labels. Nine democratic senators asked the FCC to reverse its course on broadband labels, which the FCC is considering scaling back. They opposed the agency’s proposed rulemaking that would scale back key broadband consumer label requirements adopted unanimously in 2022. The senators reminded the FCC that Congress gave the FCC explicit instructions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to create these labels, which are intended to help customers stay informed while choosing broadband plans. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Grain Management sells Hunter Communications to Oak Hill Capital. Oak Hill Capital is buying Hunter Communications, Oregon’s largest privately-owned fiber-optic internet provider, from Grain Management for an undisclosed sum. Hunter Communications has more than 3,000 route miles of fiber infrastructure, and Grain Management initially invested in the company in 2020. Beyond the purchase of Hunter Communications, Oak Hill Capital has been busy in the broadband industry, investing in Omni Fiber, FastBridge Fiber, Wire3, and Socket Telecom in just this year. Read more.2. Optimum invests $40M in New Jersey fiber internet project. Optimum (previously Altice USA) invests $40M to launch its 100% fiber-to-the-home network to communities across Woodbridge, Clark and Linden, New Jersey, to serve thousands of residents and businesses. Read more.3. Wecom Fiber collects largest BEAD award in Arizona. Arizona has awarded a $195M broadband grant to Wecom Fiber to bring high-speed internet to rural and underserved parts of the state. The funding, part of the federal BEAD program, is the largest single BEAD award to any recipient in the state and will be combined with private matching funds to build fiber-to-the-premise service. The money will be used to connect more than 66,000 homes and businesses across 17 project areas in eight counties. Read more.4. Bluepeak invests $150M more in ongoing South Dakota project. Bluepeak, a broadband service provider focused on midwestern states, is adding a $150 million investment to an ongoing fiber project in South Dakota. So far, Bluepeak has invested more than $95 million to reach 55,000 residents and businesses in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Vermillion and nearby South Dakota communities. The second round of investments means the project will reach more than 175,000 residents and businesses across the state. In addition to South Dakota, Bluepeak is active in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Texas. Read more.5. Ohio Looks to Build Middle-Mile Broadband. The state Department of Development’s BroadbandOhio office is poised to take proposals to build a middle-mile fiber network east from Mansfield to Canton, and west to Lima along Route 30. The US Route 30 Corridor spans the entire width of Ohio, passing through 15 counties.  The inquiry period for interested applicants runs Dec. 1, 2025, through Jan. 5, 2026, and a non-mandatory virtual bidders conference will take place Dec. 8. Final proposals are due Feb. 2, 2026. Read more.                6. Ripple Fiber to invest $60M+ and bring fiber to nearly 50K homes in California. Ripple Fiber announced plans to enter California, its tenth state. Investing over $60 million in this initial project, Ripple Fiber will deliver high-speed fiber internet service to nearly 50,000 homes in Kern County. Starting in Bakersfield, construction is expected to begin in early 2026. Additional cities in nearby counties will soon be announcedas Ripple Fiber looks to grow its Southern California network. Read more.7. Surf Internet celebrates 250K fiber passings. Surf Internet has reached 250,000 homes passed with fiber internet across Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, its strongest construction year to date and a defining milestone in the company’s 25th anniversary year. In 2025, Surf brought its fiber-optic service to more than 66,500 additional homes and businesses through November and is on track to exceed 75,000 passings by year-end, driven by construction acceleration, strategic grant funding, and community partnerships across the Great Lakes region. Read more.

Jan 01, 2026

General

Broadband Bytes, December 2025 Issue 1

BROADBAND NEWS:1.Bipartisan RAIL Act aims to simplify broadband use of rail rights-of-way. The bipartisan Broadband and Telecommunications RAIL Act — which was introduced November 21 by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico) — would make it easier to deploy telecom and broadband gear in public and private railroad rights-of-way, according to Blackburn’s office.  The RAIL Act press release said that the permission structure to install equipment near railroads can be slow, inconsistent, and expensive. Read more.2. Another Look at Starlink Performance. The Internet Society published a blog by Isabel Suizo of Carnegie Mellon University that looks at Starlink’s impact on digital equity.  Starlink is not meeting the regulatory performance goals in the U.S., the EU, and Australia. The blog cites speed tests from M-Labs that show that only 24.7% of U.S. speed tests, 13.6% of EU speed tests, and 42.2% of Australian speed tests exceeded 100 Mbps. That speed requirement to qualify as broadband came from the BEAD grants in the US, the Connecting Europe Broadband Fund (CEBF) in the EU, and the Statutory Infrastructure Provider (SIP) regime in Australia. Read more.3. Updated, Comprehensive List: BEAD Benefit of the Bargain Provisional Awards. Last updated: Wednesday, December 3, 8:00 a.m. Pacific time. California became the 50th and final state to announce its provisional BEAD Program awards. Read More.4. Libraries and museums get federal funding back after Trump cuts. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is reinstating all grants that were previously terminated by the Trump administration. A short statement posted on the agency’s website said, “this action supersedes any prior notices which may have been received related to grant termination.” The IMLS is the independent agency in charge of awarding federal grant funding to libraries and museums across the country. Earlier this year, it was the target of one of President Trump’s executive orders, which led to the termination of grants that had been previously awarded. Library insiders said the move particularly hurt small and rural libraries, with limited access to other sources of funding. Read more.5. What Broadband Price Drop? – Editorial. This post covers the annual (“silly”) pronouncement from USTelecom that broadband prices have dropped again in 2025.  Anybody who pays a broadband bill and who still uses the same ISP as the year before knows they have not seen a price reduction.  USTelecom is playing on words. USTelecom is saying that the cost per megabit of broadband has dropped this year. How can the megabit price drop when the actual prices have increased? It’s simple math – ISPs continue to increase the maximum broadband speeds of their products. No consumer thinks about their broadband bill as a cost per megabit, but USTelecom is making its claim based on that.  The statement that broadband prices have dropped 43% since 2015 is a doozy. Prices are clearly rising. The big ISPs still have price increases every year. Read more.6. Reforms to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program? In the last two months of the Biden administration, nearly $500 million in grants were announced to support Tribal broadband projects. 55 Tribal nations were poised to improve Internet access and advance digital sovereignty in their communities. As President Trump took office, more than a hundred applicants still awaited word on their proposals, with nearly $500 million still available in the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP). Then, ten months of silence. (Now) NTIA issued a press release less than a week later announcing “reforms” to the TBCP program. NTIA said it was “not rescinding any obligated awards,” but no new awards from the last batch of applicants would move forward. Instead, the agency would issue a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the remaining funds, which would also fold in some funding under the otherwise ”terminated” Digital Equity Act. A new NOFO means a new, different program, with new rules, no earlier than Spring 2026. Read more.7. State legislators seek release of BEAD non-deployment funds. More than 100 state legislators from both parties have sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick asking that the remaining non-deployment funds from the $42.45B BEAD Program be released. The letter was signed by more than 160 state legislators. The letter, which was also sent to Arielle Roth — the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and head of the NTIA — said that it was Congress’ “clear intent” to release non-deployment BEAD funds and that it is required to do so under Section 60102(f) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Read more.8. ThinkBig Networks rebrands as IQ Fiber in Maryland. IQ Fiber, a 100% fiber-optic internet service provider serving the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic, today announced the official rebrand of ThinkBig Networks to IQ Fiber. This change is the final step in uniting both companies under one brand and mission: delivering a fast, reliable, and stress-free internet experience. With the integration complete, IQ Fiber plans to accelerate its network deployment to additional communities across the Chesapeake Bay and the Mid-Atlantic region. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Cityside Fiber begins construction in Laguna Hills, California. Cityside Fiber, an Orange County-based provider of 100% fiber-optic internet, is launching its fiber network in its seventh city, Laguna Hills. Construction of this project is in progress, with the first customers coming online as early as December of this year. This expansion follows successful deployments throughout South Orange County cities such as Mission Viejo, Lake Forest, Dana Point, and Irvine, further positioning Cityside Fiber as a leader in high-speed internet for homes and businesses across Southern California. Read more.2. GoNetspeed celebrates completion of Ansonia, Connecticut network. GoNetspeed has officially completed its $4.3 million, 100% fiber-optic network serving Ansonia, CT. With the buildout finished, more than 6,700 homes and businesses can now experience GoNetspeed’s network through a direct fiber connection. Read more.3. Lightpath expands AI-Grade Fiber network in Columbus, Ohio. Lightpath, an all-fiber, infrastructure-based connectivity provider, announced the expansion of its fiber network in Greater Columbus, Ohio. This latest project adds approximately 150 route miles of high-density fiber to the initial network announced earlier this year, more than doubling Lightpath’s fiber footprint across the region.  Lightpath now operates dense metro and regional fiber systems across major U.S. markets, including New York, New Jersey, southeast Connecticut, Boston, Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Eastern Pennsylvania, Miami, and Columbus—connecting nearly 200 data centers, enabling next-generation workloads across the AI economy. Read more.4. Vero Fiber completes acquisition of BendTel. Vero Broadband, operating as Vero Fiber, announced that it has completed the acquisition of BendTel, Inc. The closing brings the long-standing Central Oregon telecommunications provider fully into the Vero organization. Read more.5. RightFiber network build in El Dorado, Arkansas. An investment of $5 million will propel the construction of a fiber network in El Dorado, Arkansas, RightFiber has announced. The rollout will be phased into several neighborhoods. RightFiber, a brand of Ritter Communications, is Arkansas-based, headquartered in Jonesboro. Read more.6. Ezee Fiber begins construction in Algona and Pacific, Washington. Ezee Fiber, announced the start of construction on its all-fiber network in the cities of Algona and Pacific in Washington State. The expansion marks the next phase of the company’s continued investment in bringing fiber internet to communities across the Puget Sound region.  Ezee Fiber’s Washington State expansion began in early 2025 and has rapidly grown across the region. With the addition of Algona and Pacific, Ezee Fiber is now constructing and delivering service across multiple communities throughout the Puget Sound region. As part of this expansion, the company has opened a regional office in Kent and is actively hiring new team members to grow along with Ezee Fiber in the community. Read more.7. Ripple Fiber will expand Massachusetts footprint to Merrimac. In partnership with the Merrimac Municipal Light Department, Ripple Fiber is bringing high-speed fiber internet to over 3,000 households throughout the town. With construction now underway, the provider anticipates its first customers in the area to begin enjoying service by Spring 2026.  In early 2026, Ripple Fiber will celebrate the opening of its new office in Clinton, MA. Read more.8. Ripple Fiber announces expansion into Washington state with $250M investment. Ripple Fiber plans to expand into the state of Washington. The expansion will come in the form of a $250 million investment, with the initial project to begin construction in the next few weeks in the communities of Ocean Shores and Federal Way. This is Ripple Fiber’s first step in a plan to bring fiber broadband to more than 200,000 Washington homes in the areas of Grays Harbor County and King County. The first customers should start receiving service in the first quarter of 2026 and it plans to open a local office soon. 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. 

Jan 01, 2026

General

Broadband Bytes, November 2025 Issue 2

BROADBAND NEWS:1. NTIA Announces Streamlining of Tribal Broadband Funding. NTIA will unveil a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support Tribal broadband access in the spring.  The goal of the new NOFO will be to reduce red tape for Tribal governments, promote flexibility, and align the NTIA’s grant opportunities to better serve Tribal connectivity, according to NTIA. An estimated $500 million in remaining Tribal broadband funding is also expected to be made available in the spring. Read more.2. State, Local Chambers Push FCC to Approve $34.5B Charter-Cox Merger. In letters to the FCC publicized, state and local chambers argued that the deal would not harm competition due to minimal overlap between Charter and Cox territories – less than 0.1 percent, according to some filings.  Supporters say the deal could expand broadband investment, onshore customer service jobs, and improve employee wages. Read more.3. Project Kuiper Rebrands to Amazon Leo. Seven-year-old Project Kuiper, Amazon’s foray into the low-earth orbit (LEO) sector, has changed its name to Amazon Leo. Amazon also provided an update on the progress the company says it has made so far. It claims to have one of the largest satellite production lines, an advanced customer terminal and the first commercial phased array antenna that supports gigabit speeds. The company says that it has more than 150 satellites in orbit and an array of partners. The dominant player in the LEO sector is Starlink, which in June, had 6,750 satellites in orbit. Read more.4. NTIA Announces Approval of 18 BEAD Final Proposals. NTIA announces the approval of 18 Eligible Entities’ Final Proposals to deliver universal broadband access through the BEAD program. The States and Territories approved by NTIA include Louisiana, Wyoming, Iowa, American Samoa, Georgia, Arkansas, Delaware, Guam, Maine, New Hampshire, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Connecticut, South Carolina, North Dakota, Hawaii, Montana, Rhode Island, and Virginia. And, one state, Louisiana, has signed its award amendment, allowing the state to access BEAD funds to begin delivering broadband to its constituents.  More information on Final Proposals will be made available here. Read more from Telecompetitor. Read more from NTIA.5. NTIA Approves Texas’ BEAD Final Proposal. Texas’ Benefit of the Bargain funding round saved $2 billion compared to allocations by the Biden administration, according to NTIA.  The original funding had been $3.31 billion, but was finalized at $1.26 billion.  More than half of BEAD locations that received funding in Texas will get fiber. The breakdown for all 242,903 funded locations is Fiber: 50.6%, Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite: 27.1%, Fixed wireless: 22.3%. Read more.6. Broadband Expansion Could Be Hindered by Workforce. The BEAD program faces potential delays as the telecom industry confronts a projected shortage of skilled workers needed to build infrastructure.  A report from the Pew Charitable Trusts’ broadband access initiative describes the anticipated increase in demand for skilled broadband workers and examines the barriers to expanding that workforce. Industry groups, including the Fiber Broadband Association and the Power and Communications Contractor Association, suggest that by 2032, the sector will require at least 58,000 new workers—including 28,000 construction jobs and 30,000 technician positions—to handle the demand created by BEAD and other federal broadband programs. Read more.7. Great Plains Communications Announces Connectivity to Data Center in Simpsonville, Kentucky. Great Plains Communications (GPC) announced that its GPC Fiber division has partnered with Aphorio Carter to bring fiber connectivity into Aphorio Carter’s colocation and data-center facility in Simpsonville, Kentucky. Through this partnership, the Simpsonville facility will now feature direct access to GPC Fiber’s 19,000-mile network with local, regional, and national reach. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. Tillman Fiber Invests $60M in Fiber Network in Hernando County, Florida. Tillman Fiber announced a $60 million investment to build a next-generation, open-access fiber network throughout Hernando County, Florida. Once complete, the network will enable residents to choose from multiple internet service providers operating on Tillman’s open-access platform. Read more.2. FOCUS Broadband Now Available in North Carolina’s Chowan and Perquimans Counties. FOCUS Broadband has announced that high-speed fiber internet service is now available to more than 7,000 addresses in Chowan and Perquimans counties, with additional addresses coming soon. Once these final phases are finished, FOCUS Broadband will serve more than 8,000 addresses across Chowan and Perquimans counties. Read more.3. Ripple Fiber powers into Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Ripple Fiber is launching high-speed fiber internet service to its first residents in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Representing the provider’s initial project in the state, the first 5,000 households are anticipated to have live service over the next few months. Ripple Fiber will continue to pursue expansion opportunities throughout Illinois. Earlier this year, Ripple Fiber broke ground in Elk Grove Village, beginning the buildout of its initial $104 million project. Residents in nearby areas of Naperville, Streamwood, Joliet, and Aurora can expect planned construction activity across multiple neighborhoods in 2026. Read more.4. Ritter Communications will extend fiber from Little Rock to Tulsa. As part of a 20-year contract award with a hyperscaler, Ritter Communications will be expanding their long-haul fiber network to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ritter announced the connection to Tulsa will extend from Little Rock, located several hundred miles east. The provider also said the network will provide services to new and existing markets along the route. Meanwhile, Oklahoma will become the seventh state Ritter Communications has expanded to. Read more.5. Midco Finalizes SCI Acquisition. Midco finalized the acquisition of Savage Communications Inc. (SCI) Broadband, a purchase that expands Midco’s Minnesota network and prepares the company for continued fiber expansion in the state.  SCI Broadband was founded in 1984 by Ron Savage and grew to serve nearly 12,000 data customers in central Minnesota. By the end of this year, the network built by SCI will reach nearly 28,000 passings. Read more.6. Ara Partners Takes Majority Control of Centric Fiber. Ara Partners has taken a majority controlling stake in Centric Fiber, a bulk fiber-to-the-home provider focused on Texas, Florida, and Arizona. Ara describes itself as a global private equity and infrastructure investment firm. It was founded in 2017 and has offices in Houston, Boston, Washington D.C., and Dublin, Ireland. Centric Fiber is headquartered in Houston. It provides fiber broadband to large single-family master planned communities. Read more.7. Flume to Partner with Gigapower for Arizona MDU’s. Gigapower, the open-access network operator owned by AT&T and BlackRock, said that it has reached an agreement with Flume to use the network in Mesa, Arizona. Flume is a service provider focused on multi-dwelling units that relies primarily on other providers’ networks for connectivity. 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. 

Dec 24, 2025

General

Broadband Bytes, November 2025 Issue 1

BROADBAND NEWS:1. Senate Bill Would Strengthen USDA ReConnect Rural Broadband Program. A bill introduced in the Senate late last week aims to strengthen the ReConnect rural broadband program administered by the USDA. The ReConnect program provides grants and loans to cover some of the costs of deploying broadband in rural areas where high-speed broadband isn’t available. The program has been included in Farm Bills, which are typically passed every five years. But ReConnect is not an authorized program in the Farm Bill yet. That means Congress must vote every year to make funding available for the program.  The Senate bill would make ReConnect an authorized program. Read more.2. NTIA admin hints at use for non-deployment BEAD funds. Non-deployment funds associated with the BEAD program have been a hot topic of discussion in recent months, with several varying uses for the money having been proposed. While no concrete decision has been made regarding the future of the money, NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth did hint at a potential use for the funds. She said the NTIA is considering potential uses for the funds, which will likely exceed $20 billion. According to Roth, NTIA is considering how non-deployment funds could be used to advance “key outcomes like permitting reform.” Read more.3. Missed by BEAD. An article from the Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute at the New York Law School claims that over 1M locations were missed by the BEAD grants. They identified these as locations that are still shown as unserved and underserved on the FCC broadband maps, but which did not make it into the BEAD program. ACLP also identified two other sources of locations that will likely not get broadband. They predict some BEAD defaults since several small and untested ISPs won sizable BEAD grants. They also believe there will continue to be defaults in other grant programs. Read more.4. Feds push to ban TP-Link from US market over China ties. The U.S. Commerce Department, alongside the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense, has proposed banning future sales of TP-Link Systems’ devices, a company whose routers reportedly comprise more than a third of the American home router market. The proposal reflects deepening anxieties about the potential for Chinese influence over technology critical to the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure. TP-Link currently controls about 65% of the U.S. home networking market. As such, the potential ban on TP-Link devices would represent one of the largest consumer technology prohibitions in recent U.S. history. Read more.5. North Carolina Creates $50M Program to Help BSPs Recover From Hurricane Helene. NC broadband service providers (BSPs) impacted by Hurricane Helene have until 11:59 PM on November 24 to apply for a recovery grant from a $50 million program established by the state. The office of the governor says that impacted BSPs can apply for the Broadband Recovery Program through the NCDIT Broadband Infrastructure Office Data Exchange. The program for BSPs was created by legislation signed into law by NC Governor Josh Stein. It covers infrastructure projects in 39 disaster-designated counties & the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The program prioritizes funding for service restoration. Read more.6. Altice USA Rebrands as Optimum Communications. Altice USA announced it will rebrand as Optimum Communications, Inc., marking its identity as a broadband provider. For years, the parent company operated under the Altice USA name while marketing its services as Optimum, creating a disconnect between corporate and consumer identities. Read more.7. Communications Provider Revenue $5.6T in 2030: Omdia. Global communications provider revenues will reach $5.6 trillion with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2%, according to Omdia. The study, which tracks both revenues and capital expenditures (capex), points to innovation, infrastructure expansion, and strategic investments in 6G and artificial intelligence (AI) as drivers of the growth. Read more.8. Blueprint Broadband Introduces New Development Model. Blueprint Broadband unveiled a new model for residential and commercial developers to bring fiber to their communities. Blueprint integrates fiber into the development plan from the start, structuring it as a joint venture to provide developers with control and financial participation in the networks installed on their projects. “Every new community needs fiber, but developers shouldn’t have to give the value away,” Scott Sampson, CEO of Blueprint Broadband, said in a statement about the company’s model. “Blueprint builds it, we operate it, we support it — but the developer owns it with us. That changes the economics, the experience, and the future of every project we touch.” Read more.9. NTIA unveils yet another new requirement for BEAD money. NTIA says BEAD providers must agree not to take additional federal subsidies. The agency clarified this rule won’t apply to providers that already receive support for non-BEAD areas. But it still gives ISPs fewer options to fund costly rural builds. NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth indicated BEAD participants would have to forego other federal funding or else lose out on their money. Providers must certify to the NTIA in writing that they will not require or take additional federal subsidies – including operational subsidies – to complete or operate their BEAD projects. Prime examples of operational broadband subsidies include the Universal Service Fund (USF) and the Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) program. The latter provides roughly $18.5 billion in support to a total of 368 operators.  The reason behind the new NTIA requirement, according to NTIA, is to reduce the chance of providers backing out of BEAD. Read more.10. Why BEAD to Kuiper?  States made sizeable provisional BEAD grant awards to Kuiper, although the company isn’t close to having its first broadband customer. As of November 12, 2025, Kuiper has 153 working satellites in orbit. It has scheduled launches of an additional 72 satellites before the end of the year. It’s worth noting that previous planned launches have all been seriously delayed. You might think we should have learned a lesson from when Starlink was a big winner in the RDOF reverse auction. The FCC eventually killed those awards after it determined that Starlink was not ready to fulfill a major commitment to serve large numbers of locations in specific geographies. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. FiberLight Announces $150M Investment in West Texas Network. Fiber provider FiberLight says that it is building approximately 1,000 fiber miles in West Texas and making a $150 million investment in its network there. The investment includes upgrading a portion of the network to accommodate large-scale data centers and the middle-mile network. This will support regional and local carriers and public institutions, according to the company. Read more.2. RightFiber Expands Network to Arkadelphia, Arkansas. RightFiber, a brand of Ritter Communications, is expanding its fiber internet to homes in Arkadelphia. Construction on this expansion is underway and expected to be completed in early 2026. Read more.3. Greenlight Networks to Acquire FastBridge Fiber. Fiber provider Greenlight Networks is expanding its presence in Pennsylvania by acquiring FastBridge Fiber.  Greenlight Networks also has operations in New York and Maryland. Oak Hill Capital is the majority investor in Greenlight Networks. FastBridge Fiber has been is majority-owned by a subset of Guggenheim Investments clients. Following the closing of this transaction, Guggenheim Investments will take an ownership stake in Greenlight Networks and, in conjunction with Oak Hill Capital, will further strengthen the company’s growth and expansion initiatives. Read more.4. Oklahoma Capital Projects Fund 2.0 Seeks to Bring Broadband to 766 Locations. The Oklahoma Broadband Office has opened funding for the Capital Projects Fund 2.0, which will aim to serve 766 locations that remain unserved. The program is part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Last May, more than $53 million in middle-mile broadband expansion grants were recommended for approval by the Oklahoma Broadband Governing Board. Read more.5. Vero Fiber and Telephone Electronics Corporation Announce Merger. Fiber internet provider Vero Fiber is proceeding with its acquisition of small providers across the country. They announced a planned merger with Telephone Electronics Corporation (TEC), which offers fiber internet service in MS, AL, and TN. Vero Fiber got its start in Colorado in 2017 by providing broadband to schools, but has been providing business and residential internet service since 2001. Read more.6. Brightspeed Completes Construction on 13 Kansas Community Networks. Brightspeed has announced the completion of its fiber network in 13 Kansas communities. Now, nearly 29,000 families and businesses in Baldwin, Benedict, Ellinwood, Garnett, Garness, Hillsboro, Holton, Horton, Huntington, Junction City, Osage City, Osawatomie, and Sterling have access to reliable internet, powering everything from remote work and online learning to telehealth and local business growth. Read more.7. New contracts lift Crown Fiber Optics to $100 million milestone. Long-term awards in NM and WA add to the growth of Crown Fiber Optics, which announced it has over $100 million in fiber infrastructure contracts within their contract and backlog portfolio. Crown Fiber Optics said the company’s newly awarded contracts are worth roughly $80M in annual revenue potential.  Crown Fiber is a division of Crown Electrokinetics Corp.  The company specializes in fiber network design and construction and provides end-to-end fiber network deployment service. Read more.8. Wire 3 expansion to Clermont and Minneola in Lake County, FL. Wire 3, a Florida-based fiber internet provider, announced plans to expand their network in Lake County, FL, to include Clermont and Minneola, increasing the company’s private investment in the county to $150 million.  The announcement comes after the carrier previously outlined plans to build fiber in Eustis, Leesburg, Mount Dora, and Tavares. Read more.9. IdeaTek moves fiber expansions forward in Goodland, Emporia, KS. IdeaTek, an internet provider based in Buhler, Kansas, has announced a $3 million project to build a 100% fiber network in Goodland, KS that will serve about 2,200 homes and businesses.  The announcement occurs parallel to a Nov. 12 ribbon cutting in Emporia, Kansas, where IdeaTek is celebrating their $14 million internet expansion effort, which will connect over 10,000 locations. Read more.10. BEAD Provisional Awards As of 10-21-25   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. 

Dec 24, 2025

Products

UCL Swift FORJ Selected as Korea’s 2025 “Excellent SME Product”

 UCL Swift’s fiber optic rotary joint (FORJ), a core component for rotating defense and communication systems, has been named one of Korea’s “Excellent SME Products of the Year 2025 (올해의 으뜸중기제품)” in the national program hosted by Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS, 중소벤처기업부). This recognition reflects the outstanding quality and competitiveness of UCL Swift’s FORJ solution. UCL Swift completed the independent development of FORJ in October 2024, successfully localizing a component that had previously been entirely imported for Korea’s major weapon systems. FORJ is a fiber optic rotary joint that enables high-capacity data transmission through optical fiber between stationary and continuously rotating sections, minimizing mechanical constraints, signal loss, and distortion. It is a critical component in systems where fixed cabling cannot be used, such as radar, aviation and satellite payloads, naval and marine platforms, medical imaging equipment, industrial automation, and aerospace systems.In the defense sector, FORJ technology is treated as a strategic capability closely tied to national security, and Korea has historically relied on fully imported units, often facing long lead times and procurement difficulties. By localizing this component for the first time in Korea, UCL Swift helps defense and industrial customers reduce cost, lead time, and supply-chain risk while securing independent access to key optical interconnect technology.Technically, UCL Swift’s FORJ supports both single-mode and multimode fibers in single- and multi-channel configurations with low insertion loss and high return loss. It is rated for rotational speeds up to 2,000 rpm and more than 200 million rotation cycles, and meets U.S. military standards for vibration and shock (MIL-STD-167-1A and MIL-STD-810H), making it a robust optical interconnect solution for next-generation radar, surveillance, and precision control platforms. These capabilities have already been recognized by major Korean defense and technology media, and UCL Swift plans to extend FORJ adoption from defense platforms into marine, industrial, and aerospace applications, further strengthening Korea’s export competitiveness in high-value optical components.  뉴스 & 언론보도25.02.10  ZDNet KOREA 유씨엘스위프트, 전략품목 ‘광섬유로터리조인트’ 국내 첫 국산화 > 25.04.10  국방일보 방산리포트[방산 리포트] 전량 해외 의존 레이다·항공 무기체계 장치, 독자개발 성공 > 25.06.12  한국경제신문대용량 레이더 데이터도 안정적 전송 > 25.12.10  한국경제신문'혁신 또 혁신' 으뜸중기 16곳 한자리에…"이젠 해외 공략" >  유씨엘스위프트의 광섬유 로터리조인트(FORJ)는 국내에서 처음으로 국산화에 성공한 전략 부품으로, 2025년 「올해의 으뜸중기제품」(중소벤처기업부 주관)에 선정되었습니다.FORJ는 고정부와 회전부 사이에서 광섬유를 통해 대용량 데이터를 손실 없이 전달하는 장치로, 레이더·항공·위성·해양·의료·산업·항공우주 등 고정 케이블을 사용할 수 없는 회전 시스템에 필수적인 광부품입니다. 유씨엘스위프트는 3년여의 연구개발 끝에 2024년 10월 독자 개발을 완료하며, 전량 수입에 의존해 오던 무기체계 핵심 부품의 국산화에 성공했습니다.단일·다중모드 광섬유와 단·다채널 구성을 지원하며, 낮은 삽입손실과 높은 반사손실 특성을 갖추고 최대 2,000rpm, 2억 회 이상의 회전 내구성을 확보했으며, 미 국방규격 진동(MIL-STD-167-1A)·충격(MIL-STD-810H) 기준을 모두 충족합니다.이를 통해 해외 제품 의존으로 인한 높은 비용, 긴 납기, 제한적인 기술 지원 문제를 해소하고, 국방 분야를 넘어 민수 및 수출 시장까지 적용 범위를 넓혀 갈 계획입니다.

Dec 11, 2025

General

Broadband Bytes, October 2025 Issue 1

BROADBAND NEWS:1. BEAD Benefit of the Bargain Provisional Awards. Updated, Comprehensive List. Read more.2. NTIA BEAD Work to Continue During the Shutdown. BEAD and other programs at NTIA are not subject to the government shutdown. NTIA is continuing work on BEAD, the Middle Mile program, the Tribal Broadband Connectivity program, the Broadband Infrastructure Program, and the Connecting Minority Communities program. Overall, NTIA was able to keep 463 of its 600 employees, largely because their work isn’t tied to annual appropriations. Read more.3. Datacenter Segment Worth $321B by 2030. MarketsandMarkets says that the worldwide data center industry segment will be worth $320.89 billion by 2030 as artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies increase the need to handle more data in differentiated ways.  The increase will be stark: The segment will be worth $115.94 billion this year and will enjoy a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.6% during the term studied by MarketsandMarkets. Read more.4. Anchor institutions face a funding crisis that threatens connectivity for vulnerable communities. Schools, libraries, and healthcare facilities are struggling to maintain connectivity amid federal funding cuts and policy changes that threaten their ability to serve vulnerable communities. Read more.5. Fiber continues to dominate BEAD deployments. With BEAD proposals now largely submitted, representing $18 billion of the $41.6 billion appropriated for their use by Congress, fiber has still emerged as the technology of choice for over 2.2 million (at least 64%) of broadband serviceable locations (BSLs). Two Low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite providers snagged at least 770,000 BSLs (22%), terrestrial wireless collected 340,000 BSLs (almost 10%), and hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) picked up 35,000 BSLs (1%). Read more.6. 8M Americans Still Offline: Connectivity Report. Reviews.org, working from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) one-year estimates, found that almost eight million households in the US lack connectivity and are not yet online. The analysts found that the number of offline Americans declined from 10.2 million in 2023 to 7.9 million in 2024, a drop of almost 20%. Read more.7. Broadband Providers Invested $89.6B Last Year: Capex Report. America’s broadband providers are investing at a high rate, according to USTelecom – The Broadband Association’s 2024 Broadband Capex Report. The Association says providers invested $89.6 billion last year, which it called a “near-record.” Since 1996, broadband providers have invested $2.2 trillion. Read more.8. Verizon Partners with Tillman’s Eaton Fiber to Reach New Markets. Verizon announced that it will extend its Fios service into new markets through a commercial fiber agreement with Eaton Fiber, an affiliate of global infrastructure investor Tillman Holdings. The companies did not disclose build plans, locations, or timelines, but said the partnership would complement Verizon’s ongoing fiber builds and planned acquisition of Frontier. Under the agreement, Eaton Fiber, described as a wholesale, open-access fiber provider, will fund, build, and maintain the network. Verizon will be the exclusive retail provider of residential broadband services through the build phase and for an unspecified amount of time afterwards. Read more.9. Broadband Editorial: Where is Congress? Politics in DC is a mess right now. But the sudden indifference to broadband is a huge shift from the recent past. Broadband has always been one of the few topics that has had bipartisan support from rural legislators, because they all knew that this was important to their constituents. Over the last five or ten years, (many) County governments have said that the lack of good broadband was the number one issue for their constituents. That message has always carried upward to federal legislators, particularly in the House of Representatives. Read more.FUNDING AWARDS, FIBER EXPANSIONS1. unWired embarks on $10m fiber upgrade in Wasco, California. unWired Broadband last month inaugurated their NextGen Fiber network in Wasco, Calif., marking the start of a planned $10 million upgrade to the city’s internet infrastructure.  Wasco is located in California’s San Joaquin Valley.  The company expects the buildout to finish by February 2026. Read more.2. Bluepeak has announced upgraded connection speeds for more than 25,000 customers in South Dakota and Minnesota. Internet provider Bluepeak announced that it has upgraded connection speeds for more than 25,000 customers in South Dakota and Minnesota as part of a multi-year effort to expand and modernize its regional fiber network.  The rollout follows Bluepeak’s broader expansion across several states, including Oklahoma, Wyoming, North Dakota and Texas. Read more.3. Astound Broadband Completes Fiber Network in Newport, Oregon. Astound Broadband announced that is has completed construction of Newport’s first fiber optic network, bringing the service to more than 5,000 homes, along with 900 business and commercial locations.  Astound invested $4.6 million to complete approximately 55 miles of new fiber infrastructure throughout Newport. Read more.4. Indiana Connectivity Program Awards Almost $655K in Broadband Grants. The Indiana Connectivity Program has awarded $654,676 in the 15th round of broadband grants. The awards will support 149 homes and seven businesses. Broadband service providers in Indiana are matching the grants in the amount of $1,116,469, which brings the total investment to $1,771,145. Projects must be completed within nine months of the contract date. The program has allocated more than $14 million and helped to provide service to 3,000 homes, businesses and anchor institutions across IN. Read more.5. Altice’s Optimum Partners with Tyler, Texas for Infrastructure Upgrades. Altice, which offers broadband and video service under the Optimum brand, will invest $4.4 million to upgrade Tyler, Texas’ emergency and government infrastructure with a fiber network. The money is being used construction of 40 miles of strategically designed fiber routes. Read more.6. VT program to provide broadband for low-income households. The Vermont Community Broadband Board has allocated nearly $8M from ARPA funding to the Affordable Long Drop program, which aims to connect about 2,000 low-income households in remote areas to high-speed broadband. The funding will offset the extra costs for homes located far from main roads, with the largest grants going to EC Fiber and NEK Broadband. EC Fiber is getting $3M, which will help connect about 750 homes, while NEK will receive a little over $2M for more than 400 properties. Read more.7. Lyte Fiber named as preliminary recipient of BEAD funds in Texas. Lyte Fiber has been preliminarily selected for $142 million in Texas BEAD funding to expand high-speed internet access across seven counties.  The Houston-based internet service provider said they’ve been preliminarily selected for the program’s third largest award in Texas. Money for the award involves BEAD funds and $23 million from the Texas Match Assistance Program (TMAP). Read more.8. IQ Fiber launches fiber internet in Charleston, South Carolina. IQ Fiber, a Jacksonville, Florida-based provider of 100% fiber-optic internet service, has launched its all-fiber network in Charleston, South Carolina, including the communities of West Ashley and the Town of Mt. Pleasant. IQ Fiber’s network now spans more than 2,700 route miles and serves customers in Jacksonville and Gainesville, Florida, as well as Savannah, Georgia. Construction is also underway in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, Florida. The company also operates in the Chesapeake Bay Region of Maryland through its subsidiary ThinkBig Networks. Read more.9. Ezee Fiber Begins Construction on Santa Fe, New Mexico Network. In partnership with the City of Santa Fe, Ezee Fiber announces plans to begin construction in the public right of way to expand the availability of high-speed internet services. The construction will begin in late October to early November. Ezee Fiber’s infrastructure upgrades will make its high-speed internet services available to nearly 5,000 Santa Fe homes in this first phase. 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. 

Nov 12, 2025