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SEPT 27-30, 2021 • FIBER: TRANSFORMING THE POST-PANDEMIC ECONOMY “Thanks, Broadband Communities, for another great Summit! This was the best,” The Leading Event for Communities, “It was a great conference. The panels Kevin Mitchell, Alianza were filled with a lot of experience,” Multifamily Property Owners and Network Builders Nick Pexton, Mid-State Consultants

“The Summit was a fantastic opportunity New Technology, New Strategies for Living, for Render to connect and learn,” Thriving and Taking Action in the Connected World, “I met many new persons and Sam Pratt, Render Networks learned a lot,” William Patterson, New Success Stories... No One Covers It All Like We Do Delta-Montrose Electric JOIN US IN HOUSTON, SEPTEMBER 27-30, 2021 NETWORK WITH YOUR PEERS AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT

WHY ATTEND THE SUMMIT: The Broadband Communities Summit is the nation’s premier meeting place for network builders and deployers. Our mission is to deliver the information and contacts you need to take control of your community’s broadband future. We offer cutting-edge presentations focused on the successful delivery of high-speed broadband to your community. Our outstanding speakers offer a wealth of take-home information on planning, funding, building, marketing, managing and monetizing broadband investments. Industry leaders with their finger on the pulse of what’s new and what’s coming help develop the programming. Summit speakers come to share their experiences and expertise, to answer your questions – and to connect with, network with and learn from attendees like you.

“The conference grows each year, and the projects are more ‘shovel-ready’ now and not just concepts as community networks proliferate,” Sean Dundon, WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE SUMMIT? VETRO FiberMap The 2021 Summit anticipates more than 1,000 attendees representing real estate owners, operators and “I met some great contacts for USDA!” Jason Cook, developers; representatives of the telecommunications industry; cable system providers; internet service Walton County Board of County Commisioners builders and providers; federal, state and local officials and economic development professionals; telco and electric utilities officials; broadband champions and more.

WHAT’S THE AGENDA? AND ALL-IMPORTANT Our action-packed four days begins with two-hour FUN EXTRAS: preconference deep-dive workshops PLUS a half-day program from CLIC, the Coalition for Local Internet Choice, and a special OPENING NIGHT COCKTAIL half-day program on financing broadband infrastructure. Then RECEPTION: Join us for a hardy, har, comes three days of our MULTIFAMILY HOUSING PROGRAM, har Caribbean Nights celebration with putting the latest technology into sharp business perspective live music, drinks, food and lots of with an agenda developed by industry leaders, including our networking held around the hotel’s partners at the National Multifamily Housing Council. PLUS Texas-shaped, lazy river rooftop pool. three days of our new HOT TOPIC CLUSTERS: sessions grouped around central themes including financing opportunities and EXHIBIT HALL CASH DRAWING: partnership models; utilities and broadband; the politics of Your chance to win $5,000 or $1,000. broadband; marketing strategies; new mapping strategies; Just visit the participating exhibitors new tech strategies and more. and be present to win at our drawing. Here’s what attendees are saying about the 2019 Summit! Make plans to attend the 2021 Summit now. FIBER: TRANSFORMING THE POST-PANDEMIC ECONOMY

SPONSORS EXHIBITORS PLATINUM SPONSOR:

ENHANCED GOLD SPONSOR:

GOLD SPONSOR:

SILVER SPONSORS:

FEATURED SPONSORS:

EVENT PARTNERS:

Secure your seat today by calling 877-588-1649, or visit our website at www.bbcmag.com To exhibit or sponsor, contact: Irene Prescott at [email protected], or call 505-867-3299 FIBER: TRANSFORMING THE POST-PANDEMIC ECONOMY

SPONSORS EXHIBITORS PLATINUM SPONSOR:

ENHANCED GOLD SPONSOR:

GOLD SPONSOR:

SILVER SPONSORS:

FEATURED SPONSORS:

EVENT PARTNERS:

Secure your seat today by calling 877-588-1649, or visit our website at www.bbcmag.com To exhibit or sponsor, contact: Irene Prescott at [email protected], or call 505-867-3299 AGENDA AT-A-GLANCE

MULTIFAMILY TRACK WORKSHOPS DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE MULTIFAMILY TRACK TRACK #2 TRACK #3 (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) (Level 4/Texas Ballroom A) (Level 4/Texas Ballroom F) TRACK 2 CLIC PROGRAM INVESTMENT 2021 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm 2:15 pm – 3:45 pm So You’ve Decided You Need to Build a 2:15 pm – 3:30 pm TRACK 3 EXHIBIT HOURS FOOD/SOCIAL FUNCTIONS National Multifamily Housing Council Fiber Network. Now What? New and Bigger Broadband Funding Telecom Town Hall Opportunities Moderator: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 Moderator: Kevin Morgan – Chief Marketing Officer, Moderator: Kevin Donnelly – Vice President, Clearfield Brett Kilbourne – General Counsel and 7:00 am – 5:00 pm Contractor Move-In – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom D-E) Government Affairs, National Senior Vice President of Policy, UTC Multifamily Housing Council 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Exhibitor Move-In – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom D-E) 3:30 pm – 3:40 pm 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Registration Open – (Level 4/Texas Foyer) 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm Look Who’s Getting It Right Quick Bio Break National Multifamily Housing Council A Close Look at Successful Broadband 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm 3:45 pm – 5:00 pm DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE IndustryTrends Communities and the Benefits They’ve Utilities Helping Utilities: Vermont 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm WORKSHOP #1 Reaped from Being Connected INVESTMENT 2021 Moderator: Case Study Shows the Way (Level 4/Texas Ballroom C) (Level 4/Texas Ballroom A) Rick Haughey – Vice President, Industry Moderator: Moderator: Digital Infrastructure Investment 2021 Technology Initiatives, NMHC An MDU Pro’s Guide to Deploying CLIC PRECONFERENCE Deb Socia – President and CEO, The Heather Burnett Gold – CEO, HBG unites the broadband infrastructure Technologies with the Least Amount 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm Enterprise Center PROGAM and financial services communities to Strategies, LLC of Hassle What Residents Want Local Broadband Innovation focus on the investment asset profile – Panelist: Moderator: In the Post-COVID Era including fiber, small cells, towers and Presenter: Elin Swanson Katz – Vice President Tom Stender – President, InfiniSys ((Level 4/Texas Ballroom B) data centers – required to support a 21st Michael Render – CEO, RVA Market Utilities, Tilson Technology century information economy. 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm WORKSHOP #2 1:00 – 1:10 pm – Welcome Research and Consulting Management Co-located at the Broadband (Level 4/Texas Ballroom C) 1:10 – 2:00 pm – The Critical Local Role: Communities Summit, Digital 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm Exhibit Hall Opens – Refreshments – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom D-E) Learn the “Mechanics” Behind the New developments in community Infrastructure Investment 2021 brings 5:15 pm – 6:25 pm – Exhibit Hall Marketplace Presentations: Don’t miss 10-minute presentations from leading companies investment fund managers, institutional Innovative Community Accelerator broadband and public-private exhibiting at the event. that can Provide the Right Boost to partnerships investors, private equity and venture Help Launch Your Broadband Project capitalists to the table with senior 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Opening Night Cocktail Reception – (Level 6/Parkview Terrace/Texas Pool Side) 2:00 – 2:50 pm – The Federal Role: Federal broadband leaders to provide clarity to Co-Sponsored by Sinewave, CDG and Walker and Associates Moderator: funding for community networks and the next business models for advanced WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 Brian Mefford – Vice President, public-private partnerships digital infrastructure. Broadband, VETRO FiberMap 7:00 am – 6:00 pm Registration Open – (Level 4/Texas Foyer) 2:50 – 3:00 pm – Break The event is organized by Broadband Breakfast, part of Washington- 7:45 am – 9:15 am Continental Breakfast – (Level 4/Texas Foyer) 3:00 – 4:00 pm – The State Role: How state based media company Breakfast governments are meeting the moment Media LLC. Learn more at https:// 8:00 am – 8:50 am MULTIFAMILY TRACK – (Level 3/Montrose Room) for broadband planning and expansion broadbandbreakfast.com. Owner / Legal Roundtable (Closed forum for owners and owner lawyers only.) 4:00 – 5:00 pm – The Private Role: Private Moderator: Drew Clark – Of Counsel, The CommLaw sector perspectives on local broadband Panelist: Group; Editor and Publisher – choice and innovation Ian Davis – Telecommunications Attorney: Founding Partner, Davis Craig, PLLC BroadbandBreakfast.com Art Hubacher – Managing Member, Hubacher Ames and Taylor, PLLC 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Welcome Reception – (Level 4/Texas Foyer) 9:00 am – 9:30 am GENERAL SESSION – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 Keynote: The Intersection of Health and Home 7:00 am – 6:00 pm Registration Open – (Level 4/Texas Foyer) Implications of Leveraging Your Smart Home into a Healthy Home 7:00 am – 1:00 pm Exhibitor Move-In – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom D-E) MULTIFAMILY TRACK TRACK #2 TRACK #3 (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) (Level 4/Texas Ballroom A) (Level 4/Texas Ballroom F) 8:00 am – 9:00 am Continental Breakfast – (Level 4/Texas Foyer) 9:40 am – 10:30 am 9:40 am – 10:30 am Open Access Comes of Age Innovative Ideas for Keeping Your 9:00 am – 9:30 am Official Welcome and Introduction – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) New Innovations in IoT You Need to Supply Chain Running Smoothly Envisioning Our Digital Destiny – Technology Got Us Through the Pandemic... and We Aren’t Moderator: Know About Going Back Heather Burnett Gold – CEO, HBG Moderator: Moderator: Strategies, LLC John George – Senior Director, Solutions 9:40 am – 10:00 am GENERAL SESSION – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) Living and Working in a Tech-Enabled Community Mike Smith – President, White Space and Professional Services, OFS Building Technology Advisors 10:20 am – 10:50 am GENERAL SESSION – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) Lessons We Learned about Learning: Looking to a Smarter Future 10:40 – 11:40 am 10:40 am – 12:00 pm Best of the P3s Bills, Bills, Bills … and Getting Them MDU Legal Leaders Passed Moderator: 11:00 am – 11:30 am GENERAL SESSION – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) Precision Agriculture: Innovation Explosion Keeps Food on Our Tables Moderator: Joanne Hovis – President, CTC Moderator: Linda Willey – Vice President, Business Technology & Energy; CEO Coalition TBD Presenter: Chad Rupe – Former Rural Utilities Service Administrator, USDA Services, Camden Property Trust for Local Internet Choice (CLIC) 11:40 am – 12:10 pm GENERAL SESSION – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) Rich/Poor, Urban/Rural, Large/Small: Ensuring No Community Is Left Behind 11:40 – 12:40 pm Exhibit Hall Open / Refreshment Break – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom D-E) 11:50 am – 12:20 pm – Exhibit Hall Marketplace Presentations: Don’t miss 10-minute presentations from leading companies 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm Network Break / Grab and Go Lunch – (Level 4/Texas Foyer) exhibiting at the event. The Multifamily Program is Presented in Partnership with the NMHC 12:45 pm – 2:05 pm Cornerstone Awards Luncheon and Keynote Address 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm GENERAL SESSION – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) (Level 4/Texas Ballroom G-H) The Evolving Digital Lifestyle for Seniors – How Can Providers Keep Up? Sponsored by Verizon Moderator: Bryan Rader – President, UpStream Network/Single Digits Introduction: Katelyn Buckley – Sales Director, Verizon AGENDA AT-A-GLANCE

MULTIFAMILY TRACK TRACK #2 TRACK #3 (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) (Level 4/Texas Ballroom A) (Level 4/Texas Ballroom F) 2:20 pm – 3:10 pm IoT Realities: An IoT-deployment Marketing Matters: Part 1 Financing: ABCs of Government FREE PRECONFERENCE WORKSHOPS Check-Off List for Future Proofing Funding Panelists: Your Projects: Revenue 3 Payback 3 Bob Knight – Executive Vice President Panelists: Educating residents on value beyond and COO, Harrison Edwards Steve Ross – Editor-at-Large, Broadband the wow factor 3 Come Early For This Opportunity Kim McKinley – Chief Marketing Officer, Communities Moderator: UTOPIA Fiber Hilda Legg – Rural Economic Each FREE two-hour workshop is a $1,500+ value Andrea M. Taylor – Director of Ancillary Development Consultant Services, Morgan Properties Workshops on Monday, September 27 3:20 pm – 4:10 pm 5G Broadband for MDUs Marketing Matters: Part 2 Finance Wizards • All registered attendees are welcome at no extra charge • Leading experts offer hands-on, how-to, practical advice Moderator: Moderator: Moderator: Steve Sadler – Vice President, Multifamily Kara Mullaley – Global FTTx Marketing Hilda Legg – Rural Economic Development, RealPage, Inc. Manager, Corning Optical Development Consultant #1 An MDU Pro's Guide to Deploying Technologies with #2 Learn the "Mechanics" Behind the Innovative Communications the Least Amount of Hassle Community Accelerator that can Provide the Right 4:20 pm – 5:10 pm Consultants Play A Key Role In MDU The Doers: Less Talk, More Action on There’s Money for That Workshop Leader: Boost to Help Launch Your Broadband Project Today: Learn How Providers Can Work Closing the Digital Divide Tom Stender – President, InfiniSys Workshop Leader: Moderator: Best With Consultants Moderator: Roger Timmerman – Executive Director, Brian Mefford – Vice President, Broadband, VETRO Moderator: John Windhausen – Executive Director, UTOPIA FiberMap Bryan Rader – President, Upstream Schools, Health and Libraries Network Broadband (SHLB) Coalition 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm Exhibit Hall Cocktail Reception – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom D-E) 5:15 pm – 7:25 pm – Exhibit Hall Marketplace Presentations: Don’t miss 10-minute presentations from leading companies exhibiting at the event. 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm Networking Dinners – Privately Arranged THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 7:00 am – 2:00 pm Registration Open – (Level 4/Texas Foyer) Monday, September 27, 2020: Digital Infrastructure 7:30 am – 9:00 am Continental Breakfast – (Level 4/Texas Foyer) Investment 2021 unites the broadband infrastructure 8:30 am – 9:15 am GENERAL SESSION – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) and financial services communities to focus on the Great Communities investment asset profile – including fiber, small cells, Local Broadband towers and data centers – required to support a 21st MULTIFAMILY TRACK TRACK #2 TRACK #3 century information economy. (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) (Level 4/Texas Ballroom A) (Level 4/Texas Ballroom F) Innovation in the 9:30 am – 10:20 am 9:30 am – 10:30 am Building a Fiber Workforce Broadband Meets the Law Co-located at the Broadband Communities Summit, Digital Supporting Infrastructure Infrastructure Investment 2021 brings investment fund Post-COVID Era Moderator: Get the latest on the critical legal and managers, institutional investors, private equity and venture Moderator: Bruce Forey – Owner, BroadMax Group regulatory issues that broadband Monday, September 27, 2020: COVID-19 brought home capitalists to the table with senior broadband leaders to Tom Stender – President, InfiniSys projects are likely to encounter in this to local, state and federal policymakers the criticality of 3-hour legal eagles' deep dive with provide clarity to the next business models for advanced 10:30 am – 11:20 am 10:40 am – 12:20 pm Mapping: What to Expect from the FCC taking new approaches to broadband deployment. Now, attorneys from Keller and Heckman LLP. digital infrastructure. (Level 3/Montrose Room) and What You Can Do to Complement with substantial new public and private funding coming Owner Roundtable Their Efforts Moderator: Topics include: into the broadband market, local communities and (Closed forum for owners, owners attorneys Jim Baller – Partner, Keller and Heckman Moderator: • Infrastructure Investment Funds: How will the Biden their partners are doing just that. This CLIC program will and their consultants only) LLP Paul Sulisz – CEO, Biarri Networks administration's broadband infrastructure package examine pioneering new procedures being developed Leader: influence institutional investors? Will telecom mergers 11:30 am – 12:20 pm Solving Tomorrow’s Tech Problems through innovative collaboration in the sharing of network Cheryl Jordan – Sr. Director Today and acquisitions accelerate? Telecommunications, Operations • Last-Mile Digital Infrastructure: As ownership models risk and ownership. & Investment Services, AvalonBay Moderator: evolve, who will play the lead role in construction? What 1:00-1:10 pm – Welcome Communities, Inc. Sean Buckley – Editor-in-Chief, entities, including cities, will own digital assets? Who will Broadband Communities Magazine 1:10-2:00 pm – The Critical Local Role: manage the networks? 12:20 pm – 2:00 pm Exhibit Hall Luncheon and “Must be Present to Win” Drawings – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom D-E) • Public-Private Partnerships: How has municipalities’ New developments in community broadband and Big Cash Drawing During Thursday’s Exhibit Hall Lunch: To qualify, players must visit each participating drawing sponsor to becoming a leading voice in new digital infrastructure public-private partnerships obtain their signature or stamp. Once all boxes are filled, please turn in to the registration desk where your entry will be verified. projects changed the public-private partnership 2:00-2:50 pm – The Federal Role: Federal funding for This drawing is only for attendees. Vendors cannot participate. Only one submission per person. Must be present to win. conversation? community networks and public-private partnerships 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm GENERAL SESSION – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) • The Future of Shared Infrastructure: Will 5G deployment The TV Isn’t Just for Watching TV Anymore accelerate the sharing of real-estate facilities between cell 2:50-3:00 pm – Break Moderator: tower carriers and infrastructure owners? 3:00-4:00 pm – The State Role: How state governments Carl Vassia – Vice President of Product Management, CommScope Moderator: Drew Clark – Of Counsel, The CommLaw are meeting the moment for broadband planning 1:15 pm – 5:00 pm Exhibitor Move-Out – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom D-E) Group; Editor and Publisher – BroadbandBreakfast.com and expansion 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm WORKSHOP – (Level 4/Texas Ballroom B-C) The event is organized by Broadband Breakfast, 4:00-5:00 pm – The Private Role: Private sector Financial Modeling for Community Networks part of Washington-based media company Breakfast Media LLC. Learn more at https://broadbandbreakfast.com. perspectives on local broadband choice and innovation Moderator: Steve Ross – Editor-at-Large, Broadband Communities AGENDA AT-A-GLANCE

Cheryl Jordan Kevin Donnelly Linda Willey Sr. Director Telecommunications, Vice President for Government Affairs Director of Ancillary Services Operations & Investment Services National Multifamily Housing Council Camden Heather Burnett Gold Mike Smith Drew Clark AvalonBay Communities, Inc. CEO President President HBG Strategies, LLC White Space Building Rural Telecommunications Technology Advisors Congress, Broadband Breakfast THE 2021 ADVISORY PANEL OF PROPERTY OWNERS Of Counsel, The CommLaw Group

Gail Corder Barney Pullam Andrea M. Taylor Ancillary Services Manager – VP Strategic Business Services Director of Ancillary Services Property Management The Inland Real Estate Group, LLC Morgan Properties Fairfield Residential

Bryan Rader Monica Webb Jim Baller Dean Wolfe MDUs – multiple-dwelling-unit buildings – found themselves needing to evolve from a place for residents President Head of Market Development Telecom Attorney Vice President of Technology UpStream Network & Strategic Partnerships Keller and Heckman LLP and Vendor Relations to lay their heads at night to those residents’ full-time home, their workplace, their schoolroom, their doctor’s Ting Internet/Tucows Choice Property Resources, Inc. office, and to whatever else it took to successfully navigate living through COVID-19. Now, from 5G to the latest innovations in IoT and more, our MDU committee is assembling an incredible new program to help building owners and managers and real estate developers, investors and permitting officials strategize and plan the path they’ll follow to bring present and future residents the seamless connectivity necessary to succeed in the post-pandemic economy.

Tom Stender Sheryl Riggs Bob Knight President and CEO President & CEO Executive Vice President & COO InfiniSys Utilities Technology Council Harrison Edwards Strategic Communications, Inc. Make plans to attend the 2021 Broadband Communities Summit now. Now Presenting The 2021 Introducing the 2021 MDU Chairs and Broadband Summit Chairs 2021’s Advisory Panel of Property Owners Lending Their Expertise to the Creation of a Timely, Dynamic Program Expanded Multifamily Housing Program Ten outstanding leaders in the fields of multifamily broadband, municipal broadband and rural broadband have signed on to help shape the program at the 2021 Summit. An Agenda Developed by Industry Leaders THE NEW 2021 MDU CHAIRS

Tom Stender Sheryl Riggs Bob Knight President and CEO President & CEO Executive Vice President & COO InfiniSys Utilities Technology Council Harrison Edwards Strategic Communications, Inc. Make plans to attend the 2021 Broadband Communities Summit now. EDITOR’S NOTE Going All in on Fiber CEO Barbara DeGarmo / [email protected] PUBLISHER Nancy McCain / [email protected] EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sean Buckley / [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Masha Zager / [email protected] As broadband becomes a necessity, Broadband Communities’ EDITOR-AT-LARGE Fiber-to-the-Home Top 100 winners are making big investment Steven S. Ross / [email protected] COPY CHIEF bets on expanding their FTTH network reach. Eli Penberthy / [email protected] ADVERTISING SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE he notion of placing bets may accelerate broadband deployments. Irene Prescott / [email protected] be a well-worn cliché, but it’s Perhaps even more important, EVENTS COORDINATOR a fitting way to describe how members of Conexon’s Rural Electric Dennise Argil / [email protected] T honorees of Broadband Communities’ Cooperative Consortium were awarded MULTIFAMILY NEWS CORRESPONDENT Fiber-to-the-Home Top 100 list more than $1.1 billion through the Valerie M. Sargent / [email protected] see potential wins from fiber-based FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity ART DIRECTOR broadband. So many players are in the Fund auction to launch FTTH Karry Thomas game that narrowing the list to 100 CONTRIBUTORS was difficult, but we believe those we’ve networks in more than 600,000 rural Rollie Cole, Sagamore Institute for highlighted are exceptional in their areas across 22 states. This is all good Policy Research news for rural communities hungry for David Daugherty, Clarus Broadband achievements and ambition. Heather Burnett Gold, HBG Strategies Consider AT&T’s plans to extend high-speed internet. Joanne Hovis, CTC Technology & Energy fiber to 3 million customer locations Trevor Jones, OTELCO COMMUNITIES GET ACTIVE Michael A. Kashmer, Digital Broadband across more than 90 metro areas. Programming Consultant Quantum Fiber serves 2.4 million In some places, communities are W. James MacNaughton, Esq. locations and will extend FTTH across finding alternative methods to get Christopher Mitchell, Institute for all its U.S. markets this year. New broadband, partnering with other Local Self-Reliance Bryan Rader, UpStream Network Street Research reports that service honorees on our list. For instance, Craig Settles, Gigabit Nation providers could pass an additional 20 Consolidated Communications million homes to reach 60 million over established public-private partnerships BROADBAND PROPERTIES LLC the next decade. with more than a dozen New CEO These builds will be a boon to Hampshire communities to install Barbara DeGarmo the constellation of vendors required FTTH networks. to support FTTH deployment by VICE PRESIDENT, Competitive providers such as BUSINESS & OPERATIONS providing equipment, software, ALLO, C Spire and Ting continue to Nancy McCain consulting services, design and BUSINESS & EDITORIAL OFFICE construction. They, too, are recognized work with communities to build out BROADBAND PROPERTIES LLC on our Top 100 list. FTTH networks across cities in the 1909 Avenue G • Rosenberg, TX 77471 Midwest, Northeast and South. 281.342.9655 • Fax 281.342.1158 CO-OPS OFFER RURAL HOPE As providers see that FTTH is a www.broadbandcommunities.com Electric co-ops are becoming sustainable technology that can address broadband catalysts for rural Broadband Communities (ISSN 0745-8711) (USPS 679-050) (Publication long-term broadband needs, it’s no communities. Founded in the 1930s to Mail Agreement #1271091) is published 7 times a year at a rate of $24 per year wonder Broadband Communities’ by Broadband Properties LLC, 1909 Avenue G, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Periodical provide rural electricity, the National FTTH Top 100 are going all in with postage paid at Rosenberg, TX, and additional mailing offices. Rural Electric Cooperative Association POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Broadband Communities, FTTH. We’re excited to see their bets revealed that more than 200 co-ops PO Box 303, Congers, NY 10920-9852. pay off and win big!v CANADA POST: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns are developing or planning to deploy to be sent to Bleuchip International, PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. broadband service. Copyright © 2021 Broadband Properties LLC. All rights reserved. In some states, laws no longer prohibit electric co-ops from offering services other than electricity, helping [email protected]

10 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021

http://communication.walkerfirst.com/bbcmagazine_july2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER STORY IN THIS ISSUE 36 2021 Fiber-To-The-Home PROVIDER Top 100 PERSPECTIVE A BBC Staff Report 16 Get Ahead of the Curve / By Bryan J. Rader, Fiber-to-the-home leaders and innovators for 2021 UpStream Network

MULTIFAMILY FEATURES BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY RURAL BROADBAND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE 18 Fiber Provides a 28 Q&A with Jonathan Chambers 96 How Telecom Infrastructure Competitive Advantage of Conexon Players Will Help Bridge the for Multifamily On Making Fiber-Based Digital Divide / Communities / Broadband the Nation’s By Stephen Szymanski, STL By Kevin Donnelly, NMHC Priority and Valerie M. Sargent, Collaboration between governments, Broadband Communities Electric cooperatives’ covenant with businesses and others is key. members will fill the rural broadband Addressing Military Veterans’ THE FIBER HIGHWAY gap left by large incumbents. 98 Economic, Broadband Needs / 20 Deploying Fiber Faster By Trace Chesser, USA Cares and and Cost-Effectively INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Tom Ferree, Connected Nation with Microtrenching / 32 Subsea Connections Enable $350 billion in federal funding can By Deborah Kish, Quick Expansion and provide long-term support for U.S. Fiber Broadband Association Increased Opportunities / veterans and military spouses. By Nicholas Collins, Telstra Americas PROPERTY OF 100 Overeagerness Does Not Help THE MONTH By leveraging subsea cables, Canadian Close the Digital Divide / businesses can reach new audiences, By Roger Entner, Recon Analytics 22 Creating a Frictionless expand enterprises and connect to Fiber Broadband Resolving broadband affordability Experience: Sunbridge operations in the Asia Pacific to drive and coverage issues for low-income post-pandemic growth. in Central Florida / families requires reliable data. By Sean Buckley, 104 Public-Private Partnerships Broadband Communities TECHNOLOGY Offer Digital Divide Solution / 34 A Robust System of Record By David Gilford, Broadband Equity Can Boost Telecom Profits / Partnership DEPARTMENTS By Wade Anderson, IQGeo P3s enable risk sharing in the creation An SoR enables service providers to of networks powered by open-access 10 EDITOR’S NOTE save network deployment time and infrastructure. BANDWIDTH HAWK improve customer satisfaction and 14 Could Fixed Wireless Access response times. 108 114 MARKETPLACE ADS Bridge the Digital Divide? / Transforming Aggregation 116 ADVERTISER INDEX / 92 By William Webb, Cambridge CALENDAR Network Architecture with XR Broadband Networks Group Optics / By Fady Masoud, Infinera Fixed wireless access offers service XR optics will offer FTTH providers providers another tool to give more improved coherent-level capacity, people access to internet connectivity. ABOUT THE COVER reach and management performance. New York BROADBAND POLICY artist Irving Visit www.bbcmag.com for 110 Q&A with Mignon Clyburn Grunbam is up-to-the-minute news of How the Telecommunications placing big broadband trends, technologies Act of 1996 Unleashed a New bets. and deployments Era of Competition twitter.com/bbcmag The former FCC commissioner looks back at the legacy of the legislation.

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With $20 billion already committed for deployments and customer subsidies, and another $45 billion quite possible, the broadband industry should be in booster mode. Broadband stakeholders must stop arguing about which technologies and entities get the most funding.

By Steven S. Ross / Broadband Communities

here’s a lot of great news on federal broadband rules should not be written to exclude point-to-point wireless. funding. But squabbling among the community of The usual gaggle of corporate “independent” think tanks are Tbroadband stakeholders could turn off the spigot. By appalled that government should be involved at all. late June, the existing and possible largess looked like this: Progressives say municipalities and nonprofits should get preference, and that “regionalization” – often cooperation with • Roughly $20 billion in existing funds, already existing small carriers in a geographic area – should be a last appropriated and authorized in the USDA ReConnect resort. Small carriers are just waking up to the issue, but tend to Loan and Grant Program, COVID-19 relief funds and the interact with state governments when they wish to lobby. This next phase of FCC subsidies through the Rural Digital sometimes percolates upward to local members of Congress, Opportunity Fund (RDOF) who rarely have any understanding of broadband issues. • State initiatives that add some state and local funds to All this has exposed the obvious: that broadband is COVID-19 relief funds. The total of non-federal money a rather open industry with many diverse interests and looks like less than $1 billion, but it is often tied to perspectives, operating in a nation with wildly varying needs federal largess. and population density. But it also obscures the commonality • A proposed new $45 billion in the White House of interests that should be highlighted. “bipartisan” infrastructure agreement with five INTERESTS OVERLAP Republican senators • Major carriers take the heat, but they generally are The White House is calling this unwieldy package a too overextended to invest in new builds. Large telcos “$65 billion investment in broadband,” and it is – if no one forgo even easy business, such as providing service to looks too closely. The final infrastructure bill is not likely multiple-dwelling-unit buildings and new planned-unit to be ready for a vote in the Senate until September. But developments. Indeed, they have so much debt on their the amount originally proposed for broadband, about $100 balance sheets that looking ahead to the day when interest billion in new money, has already been halved. The new rates will rise enough to be onerous, they are open to money would be spent over time. The infrastructure bill as a leasing backhaul and pole space from local carriers for 5G whole has an eight-year time horizon. It is unclear whether mobile cell sites. Hint: They like carriers that have invested broadband would have a shorter period for new deployments. or will invest in fiber. National carriers concentrating on Even $45 billion, given today’s low interest rates and easy special circumstances, such as Hotwire and Pavlov, fill some of the gaps. availability of money and several million remote premises • Carriers that serve small communities but have avoided served by low-Earth-orbit satellites, would go a long way the cost of expanding into sparsely populated surrounding toward meeting the need. areas or the cost of improving bandwidth see a threat in Senate staffers tasked with writing the details into law and federal money that would fund competitors yet do not see their colleagues in the House are buzzing about the oddity of much justification for diluting their profits by expanding responses by the industry and special-interest groups. A few themselves. They doubt that any nationwide program major carriers warn that they should not be excluded from can be nimble enough to allow fair competition in all or competing for funding. The Fiber Broadband Association most situations. says fiber should be the default technology choice. The • Carriers serving small towns are sometimes neglected Wireless Internet Service Providers Association says project fragments of national cable companies. They generally

14 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 have a local competitive advantage, navigating the higher sunk costs of underserved communities served well especially in fees for interconnecting copper. That’s especially so given that enough by other service providers to with national networks. That, in most premises use a gigabit wireless distribute that content. But one big turn, allows them to capture E-Rate gateway, typically 802.11ac or ax (also content owner, AT&T, is spinning program business, serving schools known as Wi-Fi 6). off its $80 billion purchase of HBO and local government facilities. and associated properties by merging National carriers devote little or no SUPPORT FOR DIFFERENT them with the Discovery Channel. It capital to improving or expanding MODELS gets some cash back but also keeps the services in these fragments. Broadband Communities supports content business off its books. We’ll see • Local governments, nonprofit regionalization, in which multiple how the dynamics work out. organizations, and profit-making entities join together to run a system Many people complain that carriers, but public-service local entities, but may remain independent. especially large carriers, charge too such as electric cooperatives, now They could, for instance, include a much. That’s not entirely true, so huge serve about 500 communities. public-private partnership between a cuts cannot be expected across the Broadband is usually a regulated municipality and a local, Tier-3 carrier, board. My cable provider is cutting industry, either a so-called Title-2 along with an electric co-op, a wireless rates on customer demand because a “telecommunications” business or internet service provider (WISP) or well-regarded wireless internet service lightly regulated at the federal level. cable company, a private network built provider (Starry) moved into the But depending on how one counts to service a commercial or an industrial neighborhood. Reading annual reports the reach of state regulation, 18 to zone and another Tier-3 carrier. suggests that telecommunications 22 states restrict public broadband The magazine supports 5G cell sites companies are profitable but not excessively so compared with other one way or another. The state of that can handle all available bands industries. Many complain that Washington, first to host large so spectrum can be recycled more the FCC’s broadband maps, and amounts of publicly owned fiber efficiently and the sites in a region can even the new, improved National networks 20 years ago, just passed be more easily serviced or upgraded Telecommunications and Information contradictory laws expanding and when needed. The magazine supports Administration broadband maps, are restricting public broadband. These software-based solutions for the same not good enough. But better maps are are interesting times. reasons, especially at the network available from independent vendors, • In many urban areas, broadband is edge. Broadband Communities’ and better maps are also on the way available but too expensive for many models suggest that collectively, service from the FCC, due early in 2022. families. Subsidies are available in providers can save at least 20 percent The first two rounds of the USDA COVID-19 relief (temporary!) and on marketing and operating costs ReConnect Loan and Grant Program, through the FCC (small!). However, by cooperating, even as they boost as detailed in this magazine, have as I detailed in this column nearly a revenue with mobile backhaul and funded mainly fiber systems at a cost year ago when showing a relationship eventually with communications for per premises passed of between $4,000 between childhood poverty and autonomous vehicles. and $6,000. That’s about what the cost broadband access, the benefits of Business models, with or without was when Verizon started deploying fixing this far outweigh the cost. federal or state grants, can be pay-for- fiber in 2004. And that’s in rural When looking at all these concerns service, but can also be unlimited use, areas, not easy-pickings urban and and interests, some near-universal such as a town’s local streets or a bulk suburban areas where Verizon started. truths strike me. This magazine has payment arrangement for broadband But ReConnect has funded some great always said it is logical that the entity in an apartment building. Some funds wireless as well. with lowest cost of capital should could come from general taxes, some The bottom line: The industry generally build the system. There not – whatever works in a locality. has a great story to tell. There’s an should be no limits on who gets to Some communities tax broadband – enormous amount of money on the build a broadband system. I developed a thing they want – because they are table, with more likely to come with a “multi-neighborhood” financial addicted to taxation, unwinding an old the infrastructure bill. The industry model (available free at www.bbcmag. approach would be too complicated, should join to accentuate the upside, com/tools-and-resources/ftth-financial- or (as is often the case in California, trumpet the benefits and stop the infighting. And the funding should analyzers) six years ago because for example) communities have only indeed be technology-neutral, once deployers were trying to build fiber limited control over property taxation a high performance level and a solid networks with wireless in a few difficult and need the revenue. growth path are defined. The country areas. The wireless actually enables I expected that service providers needs this. v the fiber by providing an economical, that also own content (such as if temporary, solution. Converting Comcast, which owns NBC and from wireless to fiber is far easier than other networks) would want to see Contact the Hawk at steve@bbcmag.

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 15 PROVIDER PERSPECTIVE

Get Ahead of the Curve

Service providers can address the trifecta of high prices, substantial growth and strong demand by offering bulk internet plans to their multifamily customers.

By Bryan J. Rader / UpStream Network

ave you taken an economics course in a while? Do market on solid footing with a strong future in front of it. It’s you remember those supply-and-demand charts, a good time to be a multifamily vendor. price elasticity and marginal propensity to consume H BROADBAND DEMAND, PRICES REMAIN HIGH curves? OK, I won’t get carried away, but from time to time, it’s great for multifamily broadband providers to look at some Now for broadband. According to statista.com, the overall of the economic figures in their businesses, analyze market U.S. broadband penetration rate stands at 84 percent today, forces and chart the future. They should first explore the after a 4.7 percent increase in 2020. That’s interesting but marketplace, then examine how core products are performing. somewhat deceiving. Why? Many years ago, I had an economics professor who stood Statista.com’s analysis of broadband penetration by age in front of a large white board to illustrate a bunch of graphs. group shows penetration is more than 98 percent for groups I can still remember the squeakiness and smell of his black between 18 and 49 years of age. These are the same age groups magic marker! most likely to rent – more than 72 percent of all renters are My lecture won’t be so difficult. younger than 44. Wow. Almost all apartment renters are paying for the product POST-PANDEMIC RECOVERY providers offer today. Demand is high. And they pay a lot. Based Let’s start by looking at the multifamily marketplace as it on public filings, Charter customers pay an average of $66 for recovers from the pandemic. The good news, according to broadband connectivity, Comcast ($80) and Altice ($90). NMHC’s Rent Payment Tracker, is that more than 95 percent High prices, substantial growth, strong demand. of residents are paying their rent each month as the economy resumes normalcy. Yes, there was $50 billion in rental BULK INTERNET POSSIBILITIES assistance, but the multiple-dwelling-unit (MDU) market This is where the lecture gets interesting. Broadband held steady. This is a particularly good sign. providers can improve these economics, according to all these Second, single-family home prices are going up so quickly charts and graphs, by offering bulk internet in their MDU that the gap between home ownership and renting is tilting in communities. This data suggests that apartment owners favor of apartment living being more affordable once again – should be offering bulk broadband everywhere. even with rising rental rates. Providers can cut broadband costs in half for residents, Here’s better news: According to the Pew Research Center, help drive revenue growth, and increase occupancy levels in 26.6 million 18-to-29-year-olds still live at home (this figure new and existing MDU communities. That’s a win-win-win. went up during the past year). Demand for apartments will It’s textbook economics. I would show you my “marginal rise as many people in this age group start moving out and propensity to bulk” chart to prove my point, but it’s hard to entering the MDU space. illustrate in this column. But trust me, the numbers are clear. It gets better still. Even with the increased costs of lumber It’s time to join the bulk internet crowd and get ahead of and labor, apartment construction is still expected to grow the curve! v between 300,000 and 400,000 new units in 2021. That’s a tremendous jump in new “supply.” (Can you smell my magic marker as I draw this chart?) Bryan Rader is president of UpStream Network, a Single Digits Clearly, multifamily broadband providers are selling into a company. He can be reached at [email protected].

16 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021

MULTIFAMILY BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY

Fiber Provides a Competitive Advantage for Multifamily Communities

With remote here to stay, retrofitting multifamily buildings with fiber has never been more important. But it can be expensive and challenging for a host of reasons.

By Kevin Donnelly / NMHC and Valerie M. Sargent / Broadband Communities

he needs of today’s multifamily residents have grown SEAMLESS CONNECTIVITY IS EXPECTED exponentially. The trade magazine Building Design + Even before the pandemic, year after year, the NMHC/ TConstruction reports that early respondents to the Kingsley Associates Report showed the growing importance 2021 Multifamily Amenities Survey say that multifamily of high-speed internet for renters. The 2020 survey showed owners’ biggest concern is dealing with work-from-home 92 percent of apartment renters surveyed expressed high or needs. Multifamily developers and operators have responded remarkably high levels of interest in high-speed internet access, to those concerns by modifying amenities, adding new ones, with more than half saying they wouldn’t rent an apartment and innovating when possible. without that connectivity. The demands of the pandemic made working from home Fast forward to today. No amenity was more necessary a requirement for many people. Pre-pandemic, nearly 46 during the pandemic for remote work and school than percent of apartment residents reported working from home dependable broadband. It’s no longer nice to have – it’s a at least once a week, according to the 2020 NMHC/Kingsley necessity, and it’s likely that the next NMHC/Kingsley Associates Apartment Resident Preferences Report, which survey will confirm that. In fact, the Fiber Broadband included responses from 372,000 apartment residents. As the Association’s 2020 Consumer Broadband Study reported economy starts to recover and people find their way to a “new that 79 percent of “site flexible” workers were asked by their normal,” this share is likely to grow as more companies decide companies to work from home full time, creating the need for to keep remote work a permanent option for their employees ongoing video conferencing solutions and bandwidth-hungry because of productivity improvement and cost efficiencies. According to a survey from Enterprise Technology Research, virtual private networks. the percentage of workers permanently working from home is Classroom video conferencing, education streaming and expected to double in 2021. live streaming of events add to the demand for increased upload Armed with that information, how are multifamily traffic. Multifamily residents have relied on video use for social communities responding? From a design perspective, activities, their jobs and even medical consults. Streaming apartment developers have been exploring how to expand communication video utilizes two-directional bandwidth, and space for exterior balconies and in-home work nooks to it is latency dependent. With the ongoing work-from-home accommodate home offices. High-rise buildings with extra trend expected to continue, seamless connectivity will continue space available have added private work or study spaces to to be an ever-present expectation for residents. serve people working or learning from home. Outdoor work It’s clear that broadband prerequisites now go beyond stations, larger floor plans, isolation rooms for shared homes, download speeds. Systems that provide higher upload speeds and multiple smaller social spaces all are part of the design and lower latency successfully allow broadband-based solutions some multifamily communities are choosing to residential activities to thrive. What do the best systems support remote work. comprise? You guessed it: fiber.

18 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 RETROFITTING CHALLENGES solutions, such as communitywide multifamily executive. ROVR Score Fiber is the future because it is versatile, Wi-Fi or managed Wi-Fi systems that aims to provide a certification solution resilient and future-proof. It can require wiring at the back end. that allows a building owner to meet the needs of today, but it is also In the end, the financing and quantitatively compare its space to its a long-term medium that will meet justification of the expenditure are often competitors. It evaluates and measures the needs of multifamily owners and what hold back a deployment. Telecom the quality of a community’s cellular residents far into the future. With consultants, broadband providers and Wi-Fi connectivity, determining fiber, software changes and equipment and housing providers are desperately a ranking and score based on four key upgrades can easily alter service tiers. looking for solutions, knowing this is the pieces of data: building infrastructure, Coax and copper do not have that great challenge existing housing stock Wi-Fi/network connectivity and flexibility or malleability. faces from a competitive standpoint. reliability speeds, cellular connectivity It’s simple for a developer to add and resident feedback. ROVR Score fiber to a brand-new property and COMPARING CONNECTIVITY will analyze plans for multifamily bring it to the unit upon construction, RATINGS owners, make recommendations and but older communities have more of The level of connectivity for prospective score a community. As changes are a challenge. In our last article, “What residents is a big determinant in made, ROVR’s dynamic score will Biden’s Broadband Infrastructure Plan whether they ultimately choose one adjust accordingly. “We ultimately want to be Could Mean for Multifamily” (www. property over another. If competing perceived as an independent evaluator bbcmag.com/broadband-applications/ against apartments across the street of connectivity and be a value add for what-bidens-broadband-infrastructure- that may be served by a better and our customers, providing them with plan-could-mean-for-multifamily), more modern infrastructure, such as the best information we can to allow fiber, a community will find itself at a we discussed that the nation’s rental them to make better, more informed competitive disadvantage if it does not housing stock is aging rapidly. It’s decisions [related] to the number- try to meet or exceed that standard. estimated that more than half of all one amenity they provide to their Two new market entrants are rental units were built before 1980 and residents,” said Casey. nearly a fifth before 1950, according to scoring properties based on their level These connectivity certification the Joint Center for Housing Studies. of connectivity. A high rating can companies are ultimately good for Many communities today still do not provide an advantage from a marketing the market. Prospective residents will have community-based Wi-Fi solutions, and resident satisfaction standpoint. know what is available at a community, let alone a fiber infrastructure. How do After success in the U.K. and and investors will know the value of those communities compete – or even Europe, the recent U.S. multifamily the broadband system. It likely will catch up? launch of WiredScore brought to light create the need for some housing Most of the rental housing stock how the certification for connectivity, providers and broadband providers to in this country is existing build, some digital infrastructure and technology in take a harder look at the necessity for of it has been around for decades, and multifamily residential buildings can fiber overbuilds to provide seamless much of it is languishing or obsolete give a marketing edge to companies connectivity. When there is suddenly a with outdated infrastructure. How and communities that choose to brand tangible score for a resident to evaluate do broadband providers or property and promote their bandwidth benefits. a property, that can create different owners make the numbers work and WiredScore focuses on the quality motivations in the marketplace. allow for fiber overbuilds in existing and reliability of connectivity inside a Ultimately, the resident broadband properties when the return on building and provides a sliding scale needs of today are going to increase. investment doesn’t compute, but the of certification to meet properties How will the multifamily industry resident need is overwhelming? How where they are and help guide existing continue to meet those challenges? We is modernizing millions of properties properties to improve service where know the key is fiber – and getting across the country with fiber possible? feasible. There’s a lot at stake. At the fiber to the properties remains the These are the fundamental challenges. WiredScore’s launch event, Tom primary challenge. v Certain types of properties will Redmayne (managing director, North have serious challenges in extending America) highlighted that people Kevin Donnelly is vice president of the capital required, estimated to be “affected by poor connectivity are government affairs for the National up to $1,000 per unit for upgrading paying on average $337 per year on Multifamily Housing Council and can be or retrofitting broadband in a top of their Wi-Fi bills for extra mobile reached at [email protected]. Valerie given community. Some properties data,” underscoring the clear need for M. Sargent is a multifamily speaker, have natural limitations, which is owners and providers to aim for better trainer and executive consultant and is problematic when the technology connectivity at home. the multifamily news correspondent for is desperately needed by residents Another new entrant into the Broadband Communities. Contact for daily life but is not affordable to multifamily broadband certification her at [email protected]. For more deploy in a retrofit. This often is true market is ROVR Score, led by president information, visit www.nmhc.org, www. whether the upgrade is to fiber or other and CEO Scott Casey, a longtime bbcmag.com or www.valeriemsargent.com.

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 19 THE FIBER HIGHWAY

Deploying Fiber Faster and Cost-Effectively With Microtrenching

This technique is gaining popularity across the country because it costs much less than other deployment methods and can be done in days instead of weeks.

By Deborah Kish / Fiber Broadband Association

he gold standard for high-speed internet is fiber, inches has been very successful in several cities. To date, more and even though the total cost of ownership (TCO) than 50 miles of fiber have been deployed by microtrenching T for fiber is far less expensive than its competing throughout Southern California, predominantly in Los technologies, some people argue that fiber deployment is Angeles, with significantly less impact to the city’s busy streets cost-prohibitive in some scenarios. But a somewhat new than other methods would have caused. construction technique is worth considering for cost-efficient fiber construction: microtrenching. MICROTRENCHING POPULARITY INCREASES Though it has been used since at least 2013, microtrenching In 2013, New York City was one of the first cities to adopt is increasing in popularity across the U.S. As with any new microtrenching, and some cities are now encouraging it as the preferred technique to deploy fiber unless there is a substantial technique, it’s viewed with some confusion and skepticism. reason to use an alternative. MICROTRENCHING VS. OTHER TECHNIQUES For example, in California, Senate Bill 378, the Microtrenching entails digging a narrow trench (1 to 2 inches Broadband Deployment Acceleration Best Practices Act wide and up to 2 feet deep) to lay multiple conduits of fiber of 2021, amends the Permit Streamlining Act to allow or coax across highways, sidewalks, crosswalks, parking lots microtrenching. It calls for improved access to high-speed and driveways. It’s an alternative to horizontal direct drilling internet across the state and declares that microtrenching is a (HDD), in which a 3- to 5-foot-deep hole is dug and a quick, cost-effective way to install fiber. tunnel created (under roadways, sidewalks etc.). Pipes made Currently, more than 30 states either are amending existing from PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene, ductile iron or steel rules or creating new mandates for the quick deployment of are pulled through the drilled hole, and the fiber or coax broadband to accelerate and streamline related projects. The conduits are snaked through. The controversy between the New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications and the Department of Transportation two techniques is that microtrenching can disrupt everyday started a pilot program after Hurricane Sandy to speed activities such as commuting, walking or parking in the areas fiber deployment. It formalized microtrenching as a viable of construction; HDD does not, making it seemingly more construction option. desirable without recognizing the added benefits of California’s move to accelerate fiber also has ties to natural microtrenching cost savings. disasters. In 2017, drought conditions caused 21 fires in five Google has used microtrenching to accelerate Google counties, damaging existing copper facilities. More recently, Fiber for years in cities such as Austin, Texas, and Charlotte, Los Angeles adopted a microtrenching ordinance to accelerate North Carolina, at various depths. Most recently, Google has the installation of fiber underground. successfully focused on “shallow trenching,” in which a trench only 6 to 12 inches deep and 1.25 inches wide is dug. This TIME AND MONEY allows for even faster and cheaper deployments and is typically The California Best Practice Act laid out the benefits of well under the depth of standard mill and pave operations. fiber rather explicitly, and the use of microtrenching as a Other companies, such as Crown Castle, have found that a technique makes deployment more appealing because of cost 2-inch-wide microtrench with a depth ranging from 16 to 26 and time savings.

20 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 capacity can be increased to supply whatever bandwidth is needed. This is particularly important given today’s growing need for reliable internet access as remote learning, remote work and telehealth become more mainstream. Fiber is more reliable because it is not subject to electrical interference or interference from naturally occurring weather conditions and is protected from most natural disasters, such as wildfires in California and hurricanes in the South and northeastern United States. Fiber provides a more consistent and reliable service based on speed A survey conducted by RVA for the Fiber Broadband Association indicated fiber to the home and lower latency, resulting in a better provides a better user experience than other broadband types. end-user experience compared with competing mediums. For a service provider, over time the cost to operate a fiber-to-the-home Historically, fiber has a reputation instead of days. Another benefit: system is significantly less than it is as being expensive to deploy. But the Microtrenching is easily compatible for other types. That’s because unlike bulk of the expense is not the fiber and does not interfere with already wireless or even hybrid fiber coax itself but the installation and associated scheduled street maintenance networks, all-fiber networks do not restoration. The amount of time it takes programs. In many cases, shutting have operational costs for preventative to dig and lay the fiber, coordinate with down an intersection takes half as maintenance. the Department of Transportation, much time as it would otherwise, For example, research indicates ensure safety, and handle all the meaning traffic can get back to normal that though the initial deployment cost moving parts of a fiber installation faster. That means less congestion and for fiber is more expensive than fixed project means customers will wait a aggravation for commuters, not to wireless, the TCO demonstrates that while before they reap the benefits of mention half the construction time, less fiber ends up being half the cost of high-speed internet access. equipment, lower labor costs and so on. fixed wireless over time. Traditional open trenching costs Overall, fiber is a win-win because WHY FIBER? roughly $400 per linear foot (the cost it provides a better user experience varies state by state). Microtrenching Fiber optics is the most effective and serves as the foundation for other costs one-fifth as much. A fiber project medium to provide high-speed services, such as those 5G provides. can be installed with microtrenching internet access to households and It helps advance precision farming in much less time than with other businesses. It is future-proof – once and serves as the underlying medium methods – in some cases hours fiber is in place, the transmission behind smart-grid projects and edge computing. It also creates jobs and builds communities and economies. Microtrenching to deploy fiber Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) simply means getting to the gold Fiber vs. Fixed Wireless standard faster. v

$3,600 Total Cost per Activated Passing $6,300 Deborah Kish is the vice president for Yearly Operations Cost per Passing $1,104 research and marketing at the Fiber $104 Broadband Association. Contact her at 10-Year Replacement & Operations Cost per Passing $11,044 $1,043 [email protected].

Total Cost of Ownership $14,644 $7,343 $0 $2,000 $4,000 $6,000 $8,000 $10,000 $12,000 $14,000

Fixed Wireless FTTH

The total cost of ownership for fiber is far less than for fixed wireless,

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 21 PROPERTY OF THE MONTH

Creating a Frictionless Fiber Broadband Experience: Sunbridge in Central Florida

Offering homeowners instant-on, 10 Gbps, fiber-based gigabit service, Sunbridge, a master-planned community, stands out from other developments in Florida’s competitive real estate market. Our thanks to Alex Figuero, vice president of operations at Dais Holdings, a Tavistock Development Company subsidiary; Karlee Kunkle, senior communications manager at Tavistock; and Matt Hirsch, sales account manager at ADTRAN for helping compile this profile.

By Sean Buckley / Broadband Communities

icture living here: a neighborhood Tavistock subsidiary Dais Holdings, which with beautiful new homes, restaurants, oversees Sunbridge and other properties. Pshops, parks and pools – all connected “It’s fantastic being able to tell residents that by a wide network of trails with easy access when they move into a Tavistock-developed to oak forests, lakes, wetlands, gardens and community, such as Del Webb Sunbridge, their even a small farm. Sound idyllic? That’s the internet service on day one will be a 2 Gbps idea behind Sunbridge, a master-planned internet service with the ability to upgrade to community near Orlando, Florida, developed 10 Gbps.” by Tavistock Development Company. Getting to this point took some planning Sunbridge’s first neighborhood, Del Webb, and innovation: When Tavistock began looking opened to residents in 2020 and features a for a broadband provider for Sunbridge, it 27,000-square-foot clubhouse and indoor found the area’s Tier-1 cable companies and and outdoor amenities for the community of telcos didn’t fit the bill. mostly 55-plus retirees. A second neighborhood, Weslyn Park, will open this fall. The developer wanted to provide multigigabit Sunbridge plans to add more neighborhoods services to support increased demand from with a mix of single-family and multifamily residents and businesses for over-the-top (OTT) homes and a commercial district over the next streaming, telehealth, remote education and 10 years. Besides its proximity to nature, the work-from-home scenarios. It found its answer developers hope to draw residents to Sunbridge in 832 Communications, a service provider by offering what it calls a frictionless fiber that delivers symmetrical 10 Gbps fiber-to-the- broadband experience. home (FTTH) services based on the XGS-PON “A great way to differentiate ourselves from standard. Tavistock owns all the physical assets, other communities is via the technology,” says and 832 Communications provides services via Alex Figuero, vice president of operations at those assets.

22 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 When residents move into a Sunbridge home, they get 2 Gbps internet service immediately, with the ability to upgrade to 10 Gbps.

FUTURE-PROOF NETWORK and B infrastructure. Figuero says this Working directly with 832 By leveraging the ADTRAN Total architecture, which leverages 2x32 Communications gives Tavistock more Access 5000 (TA5000) 10G fiber fiber splitters, provides “much better control over the service experience, access platform, Tavistock can deliver reliability, connectivity and uptime for and new network monitoring and symmetrical 10 Gbps broadband to an the customer.” provisioning tools, such as ADTRAN’s anticipated 10,000 Sunridge residents Tavistock is ready to address single- Mosaic Cloud software-defined over the next 10 years. family homes with FTTH and later platform, enable providers to be Matt Hirsch, sales account will address multiple-dwelling units more proactive about the customer manager at ADTRAN, says that (MDUs) and businesses. experience. The platform is an open although Tavistock adopted GPON “Today, the PON network is all for microservices architecture that provides for other properties, the developer saw fiber to the home, but we are looking network management and SDN control that XGS-PON would enable it to at this as a fiber to the X type of for the entire access network. Mosaic’s offer symmetrical 10 Gbps services. architecture,” Figuero says. “Eventually, programmable network elements range All future deployments for FTTH in we will have MDUs and commercial from the data center to the customer premises that complement the Mosaic its communities will be based on businesses, so we’ll need to be able to Cloud platform and OS. XGS-PON. provide business-class services.” “Applications such as ADTRAN’s Tavistock has existing GPON A FRICTIONLESS EXPERIENCE Mosaic Insight help the service provider equipment in other markets, so it can Tavistock says it can create a frictionless know a customer is having an issue make less-disruptive upgrades to XGS- experience by leveraging XGS-PON. before the customer even knows PON via ADTRAN’S combo optical “For Sunbridge, this partnership with there’s an issue,” Figuero says. “We line terminal (OLT). The combo OLT ADTRAN enables people to enjoy have a vested interest in the customer simultaneously supports GPON and where they are living, but still be able to experience because if they have a bad XGS-PON. access the benefits of technology,” says technology experience, it will reflect “The value that Tavistock saw was Karlee Kunkle, senior communications poorly on us regardless of who the that we have GPON now, but we have manager at Tavistock. service provider is.” XGS-PON ready to release,” Hirsch says. “Tavistock has embraced XGS- PON, and all deployments going forward will be XGS-PON, so it will have 10G capabilities.” PROPERTY OF THE MONTH HIGHLIGHTS Figuero says that ADTRAN’s TA ~ Sunbridge in Central Florida ~ 5004, which is the solution it specified for Sunbridge, “enables us to meet the • 27,000-acre development demands of today and the unforeseen • Single-family and multifamily home options demands for tomorrow.” • 10 Gbps symmetrical FTTH services Based on the engineering and • Instant-on broadband data that ADTRAN provided to • OTT video options Tavistock, Tavistock adopted type A

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 23 PROPERTY OF THE MONTH

Demographics: The first Sunbridge neighborhood, Del Webb, is home mostly to people 55 and older. Greenfield or retrofit? Greenfield Number of units: Current entitlements allow building more than 36,000 single-family homes and apartment units in Sunbridge. Style: Single-family homes currently Date services started being delivered: The Del Webb neighborhood opened in 2020. The development's access to nature and high-speed internet draws residents. Any special requirements that the property had: No LESSONS LEARNED Providing a seamless broadband one of those markets that’s benefiting What was the biggest challenge? experience for residents starts from those migration patterns and from Tier-1 providers did not offer when they move into a property. the impacts of COVID-19.” high-speed broadband options in Traditionally, when people move into Sunbridge’s close proximity to the region surrounding Sunbridge, new homes, they reach out to an ISP Orlando International Airport – one so it needed to find an alternative to get service installed, and activation of the country’s busiest – adds to its option. Tavistock set out to provide typically takes two to four days. draw. In addition, Sunbridge is close to symmetrical 10 Gbps services to Residents who move into Sunbridge Florida’s Space Coast, which includes support the influx of residents will have internet ready to use the Port Canaveral, SpaceX, NASA and the and businesses to the area and day they move in. After installing the University of Florida. to support subscribers’ increase necessary internet equipment (e.g., “Central Florida is growing, and in demand for OTT streaming, routers, ONTs) before a resident moves Sunbridge and its unique location remote education and remote in, 832 Communications remotely will benefit the community,” Kunkle work. Tavistock was challenged activates the internet-only service. says. “You can live in Sunbridge and to find a provider with its vision In the Sunbridge Del Webb be surrounded by water, but you don’t for connectivity in Sunbridge, neighborhood, 832 Communications have to sacrifice having access to high- so it provided connectivity itself offers only broadband data. According speed internet and the ability to work through the service provider 832 to Tavistock, the data-only service from home.” Communications with the help was embraced by the community. “It of ADTRAN. VITAL STATISTICS was a bold approach for providing What was the biggest success? data services,” Figuero says. “You need Property Description: Sunbridge Tavistock’s plan to grow to 10,000 XGS-PON technology and that robust is a master-planned community subscribers over the next 10 years connection to enable over-the-top encompassing more than 27,000 is what prompted its partnership services that are seamless and offer a acres between metro Orlando and with ADTRAN, and ADTRAN’s better experience than that of a cable the Space Coast in Central Florida. flexibility and ease of use makes box type of service experience.” It mixes residential, recreational, it the right solution for Tavistock business and civic buildings to build its best network and A DESIRABLE LOCATION connected by trails and offers support the community’s unique With favorable weather, a business- residents access to forests, lakes, needs. Residents now and in the friendly environment and desirable wetlands and other waterways. To future will have access to the lifestyle features, Central Florida is provide residents and businesses high-speed internet needed for drawing new residents, and housing with high-speed broadband internet remote education, remote work, is in strong demand. Because of the connectivity, property developer telemedicine, streaming and more. COVID-19 pandemic, more people Tavistock is leveraging ADTRAN’s worked and went to school remotely TA5000 fiber access platform to What feedback does the leasing/ than ever before, driving this trend. deliver symmetrical 10G service sales office get from residents/ “You have this migration from through XGS-PON OLT and guests? Feedback has been positive. various areas of the country and ONT modules. Current residents Residents enjoy the freedom to internationally to Orlando and can access high-speed broadband pick an OTT provider for TV surrounding areas,” Figuero says. “We’re upon move-in. programming and benefit from

24 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 T:7.875" T:10.75"

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high-speed internet for telework and getting in one another’s way? retain residents or increase telehealth services. No, 832 Communications is the property values: The ability to exclusive provider of broadband offer 10G services will increase SERVICES internet services in Sunbridge. the value of property in Sunbridge Services offered or planned on Is the point of contact for resident and will be an attractive draw the network: Through 832 technical support the property for potential new residents and Communications, Sunbridge manager, the service provider or businesses. The flexibility and ease of use means that 832 offers residents 10 Gbps–capable a third party? The service provider, Communications can rapidly deploy high-speed FTTH internet access. 832 Communications fiber and turn up services. Every home is equipped with BUSINESS Wi-Fi routers activated before TECHNOLOGY residents move in. The fiber- Which parts of the network are based internet connection enables owned by the service provider, Broadband architecture: FTTH residents to use their favorite OTT and which parts are owned by the Vendors/products: video and VoIP services. Users who property owner? Tavistock owns • 832 Communications opt for a more traditional set-top all the physical assets, and 832 (broadband ISP) box video platform can get service Communications provides services • ADTRAN (broadband network from 832 Communications’ partner, via those assets. equipment) FastLite Entertainment. Is there a bulk-service agreement? • FastLite Entertainment (OTT TV services) v Do additional service providers Yes, between the HOA and the operate separate broadband service provider. For now, it’s only networks on the same property? If for internet services. Sean Buckley is the editor-in-chief of so, how does the property owner/ Network benefits: Evidence that the Broadband Communities. He can be manager keep providers from network helps attract residents, reached at [email protected].

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26 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021

RURAL BROADBAND

Q&A with Jonathan Chambers of Conexon Electric Cooperatives’ Covenant With Members Will Fill Rural Broadband Gap Large Incumbents Leave

Conexon is guiding electric cooperatives on building out FTTH networks to rural communities large ISPs have ignored.

ural electric cooperatives are providing new hope for bridging the rural R broadband divide. Formed during the 1930s to get electricity into the hands of rural residents and businesses, such co-ops are building out fiber-based broadband across several U.S. communities. One company driving that movement is Conexon. In February, Conexon and members of its Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium (RECC) were awarded more than $1.1 billion through the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction to provide gigabit broadband services. Consortium members will use the money to launch and operate fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks in more than 600,000 rural areas across 22 states. One champion of the electric co-op movement is Jonathan Chambers, a partner at Conexon. Broadband Communities caught up with Chambers to talk about the role of electric Jonathan Chambers co-ops in expanding rural broadband.

BROADBAND COMMUNITIES: Conexon led an electric cooperative bidding consortium that secured $1.1 billion in the RDOF Klindt and I have believed for at least the last auction. Do you see that as validation of the eight years. There has been a sea change that role electric cooperatives play in bridging the most people in the industry and policymakers broadband divide? have not recognized yet. For example, in JONATHAN CHAMBERS: Yes. It confirms Mississippi, the dominant provider of telecom what [Conexon founding partner] Randy services has been what is now called AT&T.

28 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Mississippi is largely rural, and 2 One reason electric co-ops get into the million of the people who live there take electric service from electric broadband business is the future management co-ops. As recently as these past five years, AT&T received $450 million and control of electricity, which can help from the FCC to subsidize its prevent blackouts during storms. provision of telecommunications and broadband services. Here’s the sea change: AT&T, which was the main provider of telecom services and broadband, BBC: When an electric cooperative BBC: How can fiber deployment is no longer the recipient of any considers developing an FTTH impact an electric cooperative’s smart- future funding. Over the next plan, what are its key initial concerns grid efforts? decade, it won’t be the recipient of and challenges? JC: The other reason electric co-ops get federal funding, which means other JC: When we’re talking to a into the broadband business, which companies will be the dominant cooperative, it’s because it heard is largely misunderstood by other service providers in rural Mississippi. from its members that it needs to fill industries, is the future management Today, those other companies are the gap and provide a service that and control of electricity. An ice predominantly electric cooperatives. the cable and telephone companies storm this spring caused a lot of When Mississippi used won’t provide. Co-ops have done damage in Louisiana and exposed federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and extraordinary things to serve their the susceptibility of the electric grid Economic Security (CARES) Act members: provide electricity as to weather events. One of the co-ops funding for broadband last year, well as maintain and sustain their in Louisiana told us it was building the state legislature adopted a $75 communities. Even though there’s a fiber network. I said, “What if you million matching program. Out now a new need, electric co-ops are had the control to manage real-time of that public money, $74 million conservative institutions that have devices within the home, would that went to rural electric cooperatives in been successful in maintaining have changed anything?” The co-op Mississippi to build fiber networks. operations and providing electricity rep said, “If I could have controlled It was part of an ongoing effort for a long time. Upsetting that in water heaters, we would not have had by electric cooperatives to get into any way initially is a scary thing. rolling blackouts.” the broadband business, which In our view, broadband is the Controlling water heaters is they were permitted to do only in same type of business. As I like to nothing new. If you can control January 2019. say, electricity is a poles-and-wires water heaters by cycling on and off, In the blink of an eye between business. If anyone writes the history you control the peak demand. If you 2019 and 2020, when the CARES of the electric co-op movement can control other appliances in the Act funding became available, into broadband, there’s one person home, you begin to address another electric co-ops were able to apply responsible: Randy Klindt. What we side of the equation that all people for and receive $74 million. [at Conexon] have done is demystify who want to do something about Then, most of the co-ops in the internet industry for the co- climate change seem to be ignoring, Mississippi participated in the ops. They get told how complicated which is how to run a more efficient RDOF auction and won nearly all broadband is. Most of the people electric network. Without fiber to the RDOF funding. who tell them that are trying to the meter that enables control of Looking out over the next decade scare them. We try to lay out the devices in the home, you are missing in rural Mississippi, the landscape data from the experience of other one part of the equation. will be filled with co-ops building co-ops that got into the business. The other reason we build fiber fiber networks to provide service We also give them an alternative to networks is to have them integrated to their members. In a few years, any aspect of the business they are into electric networks so the AT&T in rural Mississippi will be concerned about. If they want to management of electric networks known only as a mobile provider. own the network and have someone can assist in the future. Because of AT&T has been walking away else operate the network, we operate the way we build networks, you get from rural America since 2012, and it. If they are concerned about a fiber network built to every home that exit is nearly complete. Rural marketing, customer support, NOC and business in a rural area. Are electric co-ops, which were the single or maintenance, we provide services electric co-ops part of the answer? largest recipient of federal funds, in a way that they can pick and They cover 60 to 70 percent of the will translate into the single largest choose to make it possible to get into geography in America, so yes, they providers of rural broadband. the business. are the answer.

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 29 RURAL BROADBAND Fiber is a better long-term investment. It’s less frame of 30 years, you should not be spending the public’s money. expensive over the period if you look at the I don’t care how Elon Musk or fixed wireless companies spend asset life. It is only when people developing the money. Do I believe fixed wireless can provide gigabit service in rural program don’t value the life of the assets that America over whole areas? I do not. you end up with a disagreement about fiber Do I think it could do that in some area at some point? Sure. That’s and wireless. not the issue. The issue is investing that requires you to spend more of the public’s money when standards have changed. Someone asked me during a panel if the FCC’s 25/3 BBC: Some electric cooperatives are JC: Sustainable is the right word. Fiber Mbps broadband definition should building their own FTTH networks; is the long-term technology. The change. My answer was the FCC others are entering into partnerships main problem with the way people has multiple broadband standards. with telcos. Do you see more of these discuss the technologies is that the The FCC still funds 4/1, 10/1 and partnerships taking place, and are discussion often is focused on speed. 25/3, 25/5 Mbps, gigabit and other they valuable? The one part that never creeps into things I forgot about. JC: It’s funny: The telcos failed to these discussions is what drives We’re at a moment in time when build and operate telecom networks investors, which is time. the country is seized with an idea when they were paid hundreds of I invest money in fiber networks. that seems hard to believe: that billions of dollars to do so – and Why? It’s a better long-term it makes sense to invest in rural those are the folks you turn to as investment. It is less expensive infrastructure. One way to do that a partner? Partnerships between over the period if you look at the smartly is look at infrastructure telephone companies and electric asset life. It is only when people that has a life span of more than 30 co-ops culturally are not a great developing the program don’t years. We should also have funding fit. The reasons are cultural and value the life of the assets that for consumer-driven services. If a consumer chooses my service over economic. A partnership is a fancy you end up with a disagreement another service in a high-cost area, word for a contract. In a contract, about fiber and wireless. The FCC’s the funding should go to me. If each party gives something, and each Connect America Fund I, CAF-II, a consumer chooses Starlink, the party gets something. Co-ops do RDOF and A-CAM decisions funding should go to Starlink. something different. Co-ops don’t are short-term decisions. The way Instead of having the FCC make have a contract but have a covenant the FCC must collect and spend funding decisions, let the consumer money is different from spending with their members. That covenant decide. If you allow consumers to appropriated money, which goes back to the 1930s. A contract make decisions for the recipient of Congress has sole authority over. seeks the best deal; a covenant binds a chosen service, you introduce an If using appropriated money people together and lifts them all up. element of competition in the way from Congress, spend it only on A covenant is a cultural phenomenon that federal funds are spent. that exists within electric co-ops. infrastructure that has an asset life Contractual arrangements don’t of 30-plus years. You are investing BBC: There seems to be a movement in work because co-ops were formed on in things that will last. If you invest which more people are moving out of a covenant. To partner with a co-op, in things that last, you have a better larger cities and into rural America. you need to have that same sense chance of properly spending the Are you seeing broadband as being the and believe in service to others, not public’s money. You also avoid basing new attraction to retain and attract in an economic way but in that your the decision on speed. The FCC residents and more remote businesses? mission is to serve others who can’t spends $10 billion over five years on JC: I think it’s necessary not so much to do it for themselves. 10/1 Mbps and gives the money to attract businesses or even people who AT&T, CenturyLink and Frontier. can work from home but rather that BBC: Speaking of RDOF, providers Then it holds an RDOF auction to people won’t move to an area where and industry organizations have spend the money again in the same they can’t get high-speed internet. It’s raised concerns about broadband places. The FCC waited two or three a repellent if a community doesn’t wireless and low-Earth-orbit satellite years while it was still giving money have adequate internet access. That’s companies competing against to companies to upgrade their DSL why communities across the country fiber-focused providers for funds. Is networks. If you can’t lift your head have gotten involved. fiber the more sustainable medium for up and look a little bit toward the No one on the federal or state rural broadband? horizon and at least have a time funding side has figured out how to

30 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 account for community decisions. services in the maps. Those are the one house to the next house. If you It goes back to my point about two types of services because of eliminate copper and spectrum- cooperatives, which are an expression the transmission media that have based services for broadband, you of a community. They don’t treat a variability within a census block come up with the same map the person who lives farther down the that change in their speeds from FCC will produce in a year’s time. v line differently from a person who lives closer to the substation or to an urban area. That’s what largely happens with federal and state funding decisions. By and large, funding using any map should be directed at areas economically challenging to serve, also taking into account other issues, such as terrain.

BBC: You mentioned mapping. What needs to be done to create a better mapping mechanism that provides a better picture of what areas have broadband? JC: I am puzzled about people’s notion that better maps mean we’ll somehow produce the wisdom we need to invest in rural areas. We have enough information to know where we want to invest. The people who say we want to wait another year to get another iteration of yet another map should pay attention to when the first set of maps was created 10 years ago. The issue of maps is related to unserved and underserved. The next level of served or unserved is census block. In a rural area, a census block has one, two, six or ADVERTISING NETWORK eight homes. The FCC says a whole SOLUTIONS MONITORING census block is considered served if just one part of it is served. The argument is about what percentage an unserved area should MARKETING NOC CLOUD count so the whole census block STRATEGY ENVIRONMENTAL could be considered. It isn’t about WEBSITE DESIGN whether the map is better. I care MONITORING if the individual home is served. DIGITAL / SOCIAL ALARM COLLECTING If the copper carrying the signal MEDIA MARKETING NETWORK has degraded so much that it does CORPORATE MANAGEMENT not reach my home so I don’t get BRANDING DSL service, what do I care what SYSTEM my neighbor has? The right map GRAPHIC DESIGN 24x7x365 STAFFED is the home. You will never get to VIDEO PRODUCTION SUPPORT that detail because it’s the funding decision that’s driving the maps. We build strategic partnerships and deploy successful The FCC already has the data fiber-to-the-home marketing campaigns! to make the maps, but the agency doesn’t use the data to make the www.nex-tech.com/carrier maps. Most of the variability of the maps is due to use of copper- #BRIGHTIDEAS #5NINEUPTIME based service and spectrum-based

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 31 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

Subsea Connections Enable Quick Expansion and Increased Opportunities

By leveraging subsea cables, Canadian businesses can reach new audiences, expand enterprises and connect to operations in the Asia Pacific to drive post-pandemic growth.

By Nicholas Collins / Telstra Americas

rowth. The word propels every business. billion by 2030 – opens a path for established Where are my new customers? How do and startup companies in technology, media, GI reach and support expanding markets? financial services and manufacturing, among The word provides a mental drumbeat that others, to rapidly and easily engage new energizes companies, leading them to seek out customers. However, connectivity is the straight-path answers that enable them to be key enabler. Telstra’s Canadian expansion first, run fast and be responsive. established a new point-of-presence (POP) in Whenever I’m asked to describe Telstra, and Toronto, alongside upgrading infrastructure its operations in the Americas, the best answer to link Canada to its transpacific, low-latency, I can give is “We enable companies to grow.” subsea cable networks. As Canadian enterprises Many people know Telstra as the in-country embrace fast-turn growth strategies, this type of Australian telecom company, but many do not infrastructure will be vital to their success. realize that over its 70 years of existence, the company has created a highly robust subsea, A GLOBAL MARKETPLACE terrestrial and satellite infrastructure and As a global trading marketplace, Canada has formed in-country relationships throughout a strong trade foothold in APAC. Asia is one the Asia Pacific (APAC) that North American of Canada’s largest trading partners. After the businesses can leverage. U.S., China is Canada’s largest trading partner, Telstra has been in the U.S. for more than and Japan is its fourth-largest trading partner. two decades, and its recent expansion into Japan is also the largest source of foreign direct Canada continues to provide opportunities for investment into Canada from Asia. Australia, Canadian businesses to expand into APAC – an integral part of the APAC region, is the and for enterprises in the 19 countries in eighth-largest global destination for Canadian that region to connect with Canada. Adding direct investment abroad. dedicated connectivity for Canada has been one On the financial front, the Toronto of our most requested routes, and opportunity is Stock Exchange consistently ranks in the there – now – for Canadian business. top 10 exchanges in the world by market The ability to connect Canadian businesses capitalization. As a trading nation, Canada with an affluent and growing APAC middle has extensive free-trade agreements in place, or class – estimated to grow by an additional 1.5 under development, that promote commerce

32 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Telstra owns and provides services on a network of subsea cables connecting the Americas to Australia and APAC.

in Canada and the flow of capital On the connectivity side, Telstra owns data and information is not going away. beyond its market borders. Toronto, and provides services on a network of As the telecom industry learns to adapt Canada’s largest city, has seen its subsea cables connecting the Americas to people’s changed circumstances – technology sector grow more than to Australia and APAC. This 250,000- whether that’s continuing mobile work, 85 percent since 2014, according to a mile network spans the Pacific Ocean attending virtual university lectures or report the city recently issued. Toronto and is one of the largest in Asia. It simply streaming more online content – and the surrounding area are home is a major driver of business growth, the demand for data, connectivity and to thousands of startups, as well as carrying one-third of all daily internet digital services is not going to revert to technology giants such as Airbnb, traffic across Asia. prior levels. Ensuring a network can deal Facebook and Google. with the increase in demands coming Along with Australia, Canada is PIVOTING WITH PURPOSE from streaming video for virtual calls, also a member of the Comprehensive In 2019, Telstra began to upgrade uploads and downloads, use of enterprise and Progressive Trans-Pacific its transpacific subsea capacity for cloud apps and so on will be critical long Partnership (CPTPP), the third-largest connecting the U.S. to Asia, alongside after the pandemic subsides. free-trade area in the world by GDP. upgrading backbones and adding new As businesses in Asia, Canada and The CPTPP provides significant market regional and purpose-built POPs. The across the world begin the process of access to Asia for Canadian firms. It also need to support increased COVID-19– recovery, they will need technology, makes it straightforward for Canadian related connectivity demands happened connectivity, an innovative mindset and overnight; as a major global telecom, companies of all sizes and sectors to do boots on the ground. Canada can be Telstra had the ability to escalate business in the dynamic APAC region. excited as its dynamic and expanding immediately and it did. To keep the These existing trading relationships global marketplace forms the perfect world connected, it also immediately create a maturing environment for foundation for long-term technology invested in the scale of its network. organizations to build business. innovation and business growth. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Connectivity enables the expansion – Telstra looks forward to what could data demands have spiked significantly. in both directions – to ensure these be a substantial cycle of post-pandemic Between February and June, Telstra trading relationships flourish. growth fueled by ideas. The company A company that has deep roots saw internet bandwidth (IP transit) believes that creativity – combined in APAC, Telstra has business growth increase by almost 80 percent. with connectivity – will help open new relationships that provide a local Considering the scale of the numbers pathways for business not just in Canada presence, which brings understanding Telstra deals with every day – it carries and Asia but all over the world. v of local market dynamics in each of up to a third of Asia’s internet traffic, for the countries. This means Telstra can example – that growth is enormous. support businesses looking to trade and If the past year and a half has shown Nicholas Collins is the president of expand in Asia rapidly and smoothly. anything, it’s that increasing demand for Telstra in the Americas.

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 33 TECHNOLOGY

A Robust System of Record Can Boost Telecom Profits

Adopting a system of record can enable service providers to save network deployment time and improve customer satisfaction and response times.

By Wade Anderson / IQGeo

mplementing a system of record (SoR) for fiber networks IMPROVED CUSTOMER SATISFACTION can deliver tremendous commercial value for telecom SoRs also dramatically improve customer response times Ioperators. An SoR can save time and improve efficiency and customer satisfaction. Engineers can quickly identify the when designing and maintaining fiber networks. A well- cause and location of outages to effectively target repairs and documented network can increase customer satisfaction upgrades, and call-center staff can easily access information to by providing faster response times, improving service level create smarter customer service workflows. agreement (SLA) performance, preserving knowledge and SoRs also improve SLA performance and mitigate the fast-tracking growth. risk penalties from missed targets. Fast, accurate, easily Implementing an effective SoR requires internal process accessible fiber assignments enabled by SoRs empower teams changes, integration with other systems and the adoption of to prioritize VIP customers and leverage network knowledge new workflows for office and field teams. These automation to reduce mean time to recovery. Modern, dynamic SoRs changes can be a challenge, but the tactical efficiency gains drawing on rich, real-time data from across a network also and strategic business advantages they bring to rapidly can help anticipate bottlenecks or single points of failure. growing operators are compelling. Crucially, SoRs help capture and curate knowledge BREAKING DOWN SILOS specific workers hold. When workers with deep institutional When traditional data silos are dissolved, critical network knowledge retire, quit or are laid off, organizations risk the asset information can be decentralized and made accessible to permanent loss of vital skills and insights. Unnecessary or all departments. Companies should embrace open geospatial ineffective truck rolls offer one example – as employees with network information that can be easily updated and accessed institutional knowledge retire, money is wasted rolling trucks from any location by a range of employees. that discover only once on site that a service ticket cannot Business performance can be dramatically accelerated be closed. An effective SoR saves organizations money by when network operators adopt cross-departmental ensuring valuable resources are deployed correctly. collaboration and integrated workflows. Capturing and commercializing data from across a network to develop effective SoRs requires a fundamental SIGNIFICANT TIME SAVINGS switch toward cross-departmental collaboration and An effective SoR saves a significant amount of time for fiber transparent, accessible network data, but it’s critical to the designers and field techs by helping to quickly and easily lifeblood of a network. The benefit is so strong that growing locate infrastructure and the most critical customers it serves numbers of operators are deploying SoRs to boost profits and as well as revealing unused fiber capacity and the cost of transform their operations. v scaling up capacity in each region. An SoR can also help teams swiftly identify the sites and sources of outages and affected customers to improve Wade Anderson is the vice president at IQGeo, whose geospatial customer service. Customers save 10 to 15 hours per field software accelerates productivity and collaboration across employee per week when they have accurate network enterprise sales, planning, design, construction and maintenance information on mobile devices. processes for telecoms and utility network operators.

34 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021

Fiber-to-the-home leaders and innovators for 2021

A BBC Staff Report

uilding a Fiber-Connected World” and latency. For service providers, FTTH has is the tagline of Broadband the advantage of lowering operational costs and “BCommunities magazine, and decreasing churn. each year the Fiber-To-The-Home Top 100 list Service providers of all sizes are taking recognizes organizations that lead the way in advantage of the FTTH opportunity, going all this endeavor. in. The three largest telcos – AT&T, Verizon Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment in and Quantum Fiber (formerly CenturyLink) – the U.S. is beginning to outpace legacy copper are expanding their FTTH footprints. broadband, a trend impacting service providers AT&T aims to more than double its fiber and their vendor suppliers. footprint in the coming years to reach 30 RVA LLC’s 2021 North American FTTH million customer locations by the end of 2025. forecast predicts U.S. FTTH investment of more Quantum Fiber exited the first quarter with than $60 billion in the next five years. A large about 2.5 million homes enabled with fiber and portion will be used to make fiber available to 715,000 broadband customers on fiber. new homes for the first time, but some will be Smaller telcos, such as Consolidated allocated to create fiber competition for homes Communications, Lumos Networks/ that already have a fiber provider. NorthState and Smithville, are no less RVA said this latest FTTH investment aggressive with FTTH. After securing a $425 cycle is driven by several factors: providing the million investment from Searchlight Capital best consumer user experience versus other Partners, Consolidated is enhancing its fiber broadband delivery methods such as cable coax, infrastructure. It also has been actively pursuing telecom DSL, wireless or satellite in terms of public-private partnerships with several towns reliability; speed (upstream and downstream); in Maine and New Hampshire to build out FTTH services. Lumos Networks/NorthState, which leverages the financial backing of its parent, EQT, set a goal to connect thousands of new homes and businesses. Meanwhile, ORGANIZATIONS ADDED OR *REINSTATED TO Smithville is expanding FTTH organically and THE FTTH TOP 100 LIST IN 2021 has struck partnerships with various electric cooperatives, including the Utilities District *DZS www.dzsi.com of Western Indiana REMC (UDWI) and SCI Greenlight Networks www.greenlightnetworks.com REMC, an Indiana rural electric cooperative. LUS Fiber www.lusfiber.com Outside the domain of incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs), cable operators and

36 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 TOP 100 AT A GLANCE Network Planning, Systems Integration, Design, Engineering, Construction, Installation ...... | 49 rapidly expand across the west side of Fiber and Fiber Cable ...... | 51 the Genesee River market and expand Network Testing, Monitoring and Management Services . . . . . | 53 its workforce. Network Management Solutions ...... | 58 Like other regional electric utilities, Fiber-to-the-Home Electronics ...... | 63 Lafayette Utilities System (LUS, the Test and Measurement Equipment ...... | 65 municipally owned utilities company in Optical LAN Solutions ...... | 73 Lafayette, Louisiana) chose to upgrade Distributors of Fiber Optic Products ...... | 76 the outdated microwave system for Network Planning and Design Solutions...... | 79 connecting its substations with fiber. Passive Components for FTTH Networks ...... | 81 Later, LUS Fiber became one of the Network Deployers and Service Providers ...... | 83 first municipally owned companies to FTTH Construction Equipment ...... | 87 provide FTTH services in the state of Louisiana, and one of the first municipally owned FTTH companies in the country. It offers broadband speeds ranging from 3 Mbps to 10 competitors also are making progress. ecosystem. Optical fiber and fiber cables; Gbps and phone and video services. Cable multiple-system operator Altice passive equipment for connecting, Rejoining the list this year is DZS. USA has a plan to extend fiber to protecting and managing fiber; and Formerly known as DASAN-Zhone, 500,000 homes this year. Meanwhile, active equipment for sending and DZS is repositioning its presence in Charter Communications, one of the receiving signals over fiber are the most the U.S. After naming telecom veteran big winners in the FCC’s Rural Digital basic components of an FTTH network, Charlie Vogt as CEO, DZS has been Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction, along with software for planning, setting expanding its broadband and optical will bring FTTH to rural communities. up and managing networks and for portfolio via acquisitions of other As more providers expand their provisioning and billing fiber services. FTTH footprints, they are adopting vendors, such as Optelian. The list contains many companies that XGS-PON, a technology to offer Besides the new entrants, a handful design, manufacture and distribute these symmetrical 10 Gbps FTTH services. of companies either have changed Research firm Dell’Oro Group noted essential products. names or were acquired. BHC Rhodes that total global revenue for the To put these pieces together requires is now BHC. In September 2020, broadband access equipment market firms that finance, plan, design, CenturyLink rebranded under three rose $3.3 billion in the first quarter engineer, construct and install fiber separate entities: Lumen Technologies, of 2021, up 18 percent year-over-year. optic networks, as well as those that CenturyLink and Quantum Fiber. Growth came from spending on PON make equipment for digging, pushing, (CenturyLink is the legacy telecom OLT ports, particularly 10 Gbps pulling and attaching fiber. These, business and Quantum Fiber PON technologies. too, are represented on the list. Also delivers fiber internet to residents Industry research firm Broadband included are several organizations that and small businesses. Lumen will Trends reports that in addition to advocate for better broadband. provide enterprise business services.) offering symmetrical services, service Finally, there would not be any fiber Meanwhile, the law firm Baller, Stokes providers can offer an array of business/ to the home if not for the deployers & Lide became Keller and Heckman enterprise services and provide – large and small, private and public, and OSPInsight was folded into the connectivity for key applications, incumbent and competitive – that invest geospatial software company IQGeo such as remote education, telehealth in FTTH networks. following acquisitions. and teleworking. What’s more, 10G Companies newly added or symmetrical fiber networks can be used reinstated to the list represent a variety SELECTION CRITERIA for mobile backhaul/fronthaul and the of ecosystem niches. In selecting the FTTH Top 100, aggregation of remote access node traffic the editors looked for organizations in support of accelerating 5G mobile Two of the new entrants, Greenlight Networks and LUS Fiber, are emerging that advance the cause of fiber-based service deployments. broadband by It’s no wonder the industry regional FTTH competitive players. is expanding and the number of Founded in 2011, Greenlight Networks • Deploying networks that are large companies competing for the Top 100 began offering 1 Gbps FTTH internet or ambitious, have innovative slots continues to grow. That’s great for service in 2012 in the Rochester area business plans, or are intended the country, even if it makes life difficult of New York state. After the company to transform local economies or for the editors who assemble this list. was purchased by local billionaire improve communities’ quality of life The 2021 FTTH Top 100 list businessman and philanthropist Tom • Supplying key hardware, software represents the whole fiber-to-the-home Golisano in 2018, Greenlight began to or services to deployers

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 37 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST

• Introducing innovative technologies to organizations that serve national represents only a small part of their with game-changing potential, rather than local markets. Overall size business. In making these selections, even if they have not yet been is unimportant, as is corporate form – the editors considered how important commercially deployed in addition to for-profit companies, the the organizations are to advancing fiber • Providing key conditions for fiber list includes municipalities, a telephone broadband rather than how important builds, such as advocacy or demand cooperative, an electric cooperative and fiber broadband is to them. aggregation a nonprofit research organization. To be listed among the FTTH Top Although some organizations The FTTH Top 100 list was researched 100, an organization may be based on the list focus entirely on fiber to by Marianne Cotter, Rachel Ellner and anywhere in the world but must do the premises (FTTP) or other fiber- Kassandra Kania and overseen by editor- business in North America. Except for based broadband technologies, most in-chief Sean Buckley. To nominate a broadband service providers, which deliver or support a mix of broadband company for next year’s FTTH Top 100, inherently are local, we give preference technologies. For some, broadband email [email protected].

* FEATURED COMPANIES APPEAR IN ORANGE *

COMPANY WEBSITE PHONE KEY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 3-GIS www.3-GIS.com 256-560-0744 Web-based tools and services for mapping, network design and management ACRS www.acrsokc.com 405-843-9966 Broadband engineering and consulting, construction management Adams Telephone Co-Operative / www.adams.net; 217-214-2774 Consulting services for FTTH deployers, including opportunity CheckPoint Solutions www.checkpointsolutions.net assessment software, support and systems automation ADTRAN www.adtran.com 256-963-8000 FTTH, FTTN and FTTdp solutions; software-defined access; subscriber experience; network modernization and management; system integration Advantage Engineers www.advantageengineers.com 443-367-0003 Engineering and consulting services AFL www.aflglobal.com 864-433-0333; Fiber optic cable and connectivity, outside-plant fiber and 800-235-3423 electrical conductor hardware, fusion splicers, test and inspection equipment, training, design, engineering, integration Alianza www.alianza.com 801-802-6400 Cloud-based VoIP platform ALLO Communications www.allocommunications.com 866-481-2556; Internet access, Metro Ethernet, phone, TV and video services 844-560-2556 Alpha Technologies www.alpha.com 800-322-5742; Power supplies, surge suppressors, enclosures and batteries, 360-647-2360 installation and construction services Altice USA www.alticeusa.com 516-803-2300 Internet, video and voice services Amphenol www.amphenol.com 203-265-8900 Fiber distribution solutions, fiber optic enclosures AT&T Fiber / AT&T Connected www.att.com/att/ High-speed internet, next-generation TV, voice, advanced mobile Communities multifamily-property/ services Atlantic Engineering Group www.aeg.cc 706-654-2298 Turnkey outside-plant services for FTTH networks BHC www.ibhc.com 913-663-1900 Planning, design and construction of FTTx projects Biarri Networks www.biarrinetworks.com 303-524-1710 Software and services for FTTx design automation, network planning, outside-plant engineering, mapping Black & Veatch www.bv.com 913-458-2000 Consulting, engineering, construction, operations, program management C Spire Home Services www.cspire.com/home-services 855-438-1009 Gigabit-speed internet access, live streaming video, digital home phone and smart-home services delivered over a fiber-based network Calix www.calix.com 408-514-3000; Fiber access solutions for residential and business services, 877-766-3500 managed home Wi-Fi with value-added subscriber experience applications, network and services management software

38 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021

0699 3GIS] 3-GIS-Full page ad AW.indd 1 25/06/2021 12:15 0699 3GIS] 3-GIS-Full page ad AW.indd 1 25/06/2021 12:15 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST

COMPANY WEBSITE PHONE KEY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES CCG Consulting www.ccgcomm.com 202-255-7689 Regulatory, engineering, marketing, and strategy and planning services; raising money for broadband projects Charter Communications / www.charter.com; 855-243-8892 Advanced broadband services, including internet, TV, fiber Wi-Fi Spectrum Community Solutions www.spectrum.com and MDU Wi-Fi solutions CHR Solutions www.chrsolutions.com 713-351-5111 Engineering, network planning, managed NOC and managed IT services; communications billing software Cincinnati Bell www.cincinnatibell.com, 513-566-4101; Telephone, data, video, wireless and information technology www.cincinnatibell.com/Fioptics 888-246-2355 solutions Clearfield www.Seeclearfield.com 763-476-6866; Fiber distribution and protection systems for inside plant, outside 800-422-2537 plant and access networks Comcast Cable / www.comcast.com; Internet, video and voice and home security services XFINITY Communities www.xfinity.com/xfinitycommunities CommScope www.commscope.com 828-324-2200; Cable and connectivity products 800-982-1708 Co-Mo Connect www.co-mo.net; 660-433-5521; Gigabit internet, HDTV, phone service www.co-mo.coop 800-781-0157 Comsof www.comsof.com 416-594-9777 FTTx network planning and design software Conexon www.conexon.us 202-798-3884 Consulting services, fiber design and construction management, funding and operations for rural electric cooperatives deploying FTTH Consolidated Communications www.consolidated.com 844-968-7224 High-speed internet, data, phone, security, managed services, cloud services, wholesale carrier solutions Corning Optical www.corning.com 828-901-5000 Optical fiber, optical fiber cable, FTTx product suite (cabinets, Communications splitters, terminals, housings, drops), closures, connectors, cable assemblies, wireless access networks, engineering services, training COS Systems www.cossystems.com 800-562-1730 Demand aggregation software, BSS/OSS for managing open- access fiber networks Cox Communications www.cox.com 800-234-3993 High-speed internet, digital video, voice and smart-home services CTC Technology & Energy www.ctcnet.us 301-933-1488 Fiber and wireless broadband network planning and design, engineering, financial analysis, strategy, assessment, implementation Danella Companies www.danella.com 610-828-6200 FTTH network design, engineering, construction, testing Design Nine / www.designnine.com; 540-951-4400 Planning and feasibility studies; business and financial planning; WideOpen Networks www.wideopennetworks.us project management; network design, buildout and operations Ditch Witch www.ditchwitch.com 580-336-4402; Construction equipment for laying fiber 800-654-6481 Dura-Line Corporation www.duraline.com 800-847-7661 Conduit, cable-in-conduit, microducts, accessories Dycom Industries www.dycomind.com 561-627-7171 Program and project management, engineering, construction, maintenance, installation services DZS www.dzsi.com 877-946-6320 5G, network edge and cloud technologies, 10 Gbps PON, GPON and Wi-Fi user gateways EPB Fiber Optics www.epb.com 423-648-1372 Voice, video, data and smart-grid services provided over a fiber optic network ESPi www.espicorp.com 877-799-3774 UPS equipment for fiber installations ETI Software Solutions www.etisoftware.com 770-242-3620; Software products for managing broadband service activation, 800-332-1078 billing, device management and analytics EXFO www.exfo.com 418-683-0211; Testing, monitoring and analytics solutions for the 800-663-3936 communications industry

40 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Fiber connects us all. Proud to be a top 100 fiber to the home partner!

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tinginternet.com/business FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST

COMPANY WEBSITE PHONE KEY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Fiberdyne Labs www.fiberdyne.com 315-895-8470; Optical passive devices, multiplexers, fiber optic cable assemblies, 800-894-9694 termination boxes, FTTH drop cables, fiber testing and installation services Finley Engineering www.finleyusa.com 800-225-9716 Broadband network consulting, design and engineering services Foresite Group www.foresitegroup.net 770-368-1399 Broadband engineering, wireless services Fujitsu Network Communications www.fujitsu.com/telecom 888-362-7763 Consulting, solution design, deployment, integration, operation, project management, NOC services GEOGRAPH Technologies www.geograph.tech 800-674-4803 GIS-based software and support for designing, planning, mapping and managing fiber, copper and coaxial networks GigabitNow www.gigabitnow.com 866-748-8066 FTTH network solutions and internet services, including design, construction, operations, connectivity and customer support GLDS www.glds.com 800-882-7950 Software for broadband subscriber management, billing, provisioning and workforce management GoNetspeed www.gonetspeed.com 855-891-7291 Voice, video and gigabit internet services Graybar www.graybar.com 800-GRAYBAR PON electronics, fiber cabinets and enclosures, fiber optic cable, (472-9227) fiber splice closures and pedestals, DC power, fiber terminals Greenlight Networks www.greenlightnetworks.com 585-351-6600; High-speed internet services 716-919-4300 GVTC www.gvtc.com 830-885-4411; Internet, cable TV, smart-home security, phone 800-367-4882 Henkels & McCoy Group www.henkels.com 888-HENKELS Planning, design, engineering, project management, construction, (436-5357) operations management, installation Hotwire Communications www.hotwirecommunications.com 800-409-4733; Residential, commercial and municipal high-speed data; network 800-355-5668 management; Wi-Fi solutions; security; whole unit/home automation; digital voice and HD IPTV video services InfiniSys Multifamily Technology www.rrh.com 386-236-1500 Telecommunications network design for multifamily buildings, technology amenity engineering Institute for Local Self-Reliance www.ilsr.org; 612-276-3456 Broadband policy research and municipal broadband advocacy www.MuniNetworks.org Inteleconnect www.inteleconnect.com 734-604-1563 Service provider negotiations, financial feasibility plans, fiber infrastructure design, consultation, situation analysis IQGeo www.iqgeo.com 720-577-4732; Geospatial software that supports enterprise sales, planning, 385-501-7155 design, construction and maintenance processes for telecom and utility network operators Keller and Heckman www.khlaw.com 202-434-4100 Legal services, public policy advocacy KGPCo www.kgpco.com 800-755-1950; Equipment for wireline and wireless networks; inventory 800-328-5142 management, logistics, site development, sourcing, supply chain management Last Mile Communications www.lastmile.net 239-202-2975 Management partnering, consulting and capital-funding services Lumos Networks / NorthState www.lumosnetworks.com; 855-465-8667 High-speed residential and business-class broadband internet, www.northstate.net managed Wi-Fi, digital television and digital voice services LUS Fiber www.lusfiber.com 337-993-4237 Municipal fiber network provider Magellan Advisors www.magellan-advisors.com 888-960-5299 Broadband and telecom planning, deployment and management services Mapcom Systems www.mapcom.com 804-743-1860 Software for visual operations, workforce management and service assurance MasTec North America www.mastec.com 305-599-1800 FTTx deployment, outside-plant cabling, engineering, inside- plant construction and installation, joint trench systems, splicing, testing, systems integration, fulfillment, maintenance

42 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 AN INVESTMENT IN FIBER IS AN INVESTMENT IN US.

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COMPANY WEBSITE PHONE KEY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Michels Power, Inc. www.michels.us 920-583-3132 Fiber optic network construction, including outside-plant construction, structured cabling and ﬁber splicing and testing Mid-State Consultants www.mscon.com 435-623-8601 Communications engineering services Multilink www.gomultilink.com 440-366-6966 Fiber distribution and cable management solutions, connectors, splice enclosures and cabinets; MDU enclosures; raceway and pathway solutions NEO Connect www.neoconnect.us 970-309-3500 Consulting, feasibility studies, grants and funding advice; design and engineering services Nex-Tech www.nex-tech.com 785-567-4281; Internet, video, voice, mobile, home security and business services 877-625-7872 Nokia / Nokia Networks www.nokia.com Wireline and wireless network equipment, software for network management, IoT technology, cloud solutions OFS www.ofsoptics.com 770-798-5555; Optical fiber, optical fiber cable, fusion splicers, fiber management 888-342-3743 and connectivity products, network design services On Trac ontracinc.com 423-317-0009 FTTx consulting, design, installation and splicing services ONUG Communications www.onugsolutions.com 919-876-5455 Outside-plant engineering, planning and design; project management; feasibility studies; consulting services; quality assurance; construction OTELCO www.otelco.com 833-683-5261 Internet, video and voice services Pavlov Media www.pavlovmedia.com 800-677-6812 Internet, voice and IPTV video services for cities, MDUs, businesses and homes Power & Tel www.ptsupply.com 800-238-7514 Fiber optic and cable products, optical networking electronics, test gear, IPTV, home networking solutions PPC Broadband Inc. – www.ppc-online.com 315-431-7200; Fiber cable, microduct, enclosures, cabinets, optical passives, A Belden Brand 800-800-6652 optical splitters, fiber test equipment Preformed Line Products www.preformed.com 440-461-5200 Fiber optic and copper splice closures, high-speed cross-connect devices, cable anchoring, control hardware systems and asset inspections Prysmian Group www.prysmiangroup.com 859-572-8000; Optical fiber and telecommunications cables 800-713-5312 Quantum Fiber www.q.com 855-748-6123 Fiber internet, voice and TV services Render Networks www.rendernetworks.com 833-293-9013 Network design and construction solutions Smithville Communications Inc. / www.smithville.com 812-876-2211; High-speed internet, streaming TV, voice, cellular, home automation Smithville 800-742-4084 and security services, cloud services, IoT/big data support Sonic www.sonic.com 888-766-4233 Gigabit internet access, voice service, co-location, business networking Superior Essex www.superioressex.com 770-657-6000 Premises and outside-plant fiber and copper cable products; FTTH enclosures TDS Telecom www.tdstelecom.com; 866-571-6662 Internet access, phone and TV services www.tdsfiber.com The Broadband Group / www.broadbandgroup.com 702-405-7000 Telecommunications master planning, network design and TBG Network Services engineering, financial modeling, construction management Ting www.ting.com/internet 855-846-4626 Gigabit internet access, video service TVC Communications / www.tvcinc.com; 888-644-6075 Broadband electronics, connectivity products, outside-plant MaxCell www.maxcellinnerduct.com (TVC); 888-387- hardware, test equipment, fabric innerduct, conduit technology 3828 (MaxCell) UTOPIA Fiber www.utopiafiber.com 801-613-3880 Open-access network services

44 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 A DISH FIBER PREMIER PROPERTY

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COMPANY WEBSITE PHONE KEY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Vantage Point Solutions www.vantagepnt.com 605-995-1777 Broadband engineering and consulting services, including feasibility studies and network design, engineering and deployment Verizon Communications / www.verizon.com; Internet, video and digital voice services Verizon Enhanced Communities www.verizon.com/communities Vermeer Corporation www.vermeer.com 641-628-3141; Horizontal directional drilling equipment, utility and pedestrian 888-837-6337 trenchers and plows VETRO FiberMap www.vetrofibermap.com 207-221-6627 Fiber mapping software and service VIAVI Solutions www.viavisolutions.com 408-404-3600 Field and lab broadband test equipment, network monitoring systems, network performance monitoring, diagnostic solutions Walker and Associates www.walkerfirst.com 800-925-5371 Products and services for deploying communications networks; kitting and integration; product selection consulting Zyxel Communications www.zyxel.com/us 714-632-0882; Gigabit home gateways and other customer-premises equipment, 800-255-4101 mesh Wi-Fi systems, Ethernet switches, security

3-GIS ACRS www.3-gis.com www.acrsokc.com 256-560-0744 405-843-9966 Key Products: Web-based tools and services for mapping, Key Products: Broadband engineering and consulting, network design and management construction management Summary: 3-GIS software and services provide anywhere, Summary: Established in 1987, ACRS provides turnkey anytime access, geospatial data and mapping, visibility of engineering and consulting to rural telcos, cable TV network connections and logic, an adaptable data model, operators, wireless ISPs, competitive providers, electric co- and enterprise data access through a configurable interface. ops, municipalities, Native American tribes and large carriers Customers range from traditional private companies and across the U.S. Services include feasibility studies, financing municipal utilities to college campuses. 3-GIS recently began acquisition, regulatory consulting (FCC licensing, CLEC and marketing its asset management solutions to successful ETC filings and state corporation commission filings and bidders in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund testimony), detailed engineering, construction management (RDOF) program. and acceptance testing. ACRS has extensive experience in Applications include 3-GIS | Web, a browser-based acquiring RUS broadband loans and grants and competitive application that provides asset editing and connection Connect America Fund awards for its clients, including four management functionalities; 3-GIS | Mobile, an Android- grants in late 2019. The grants, totaling $10 million, will based mobile application allowing users to put network data help fund various FTTH and wireless broadband projects directly into the hands of work crews in the field, syncing in Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, with the server upon establishing internet connection; 3-GIS Tennessee, Utah and Virginia. | Admin, a browser-based configuration console for web and ACRS engineered the first full-motion, distance learning mobile, allowing system administrators to create systems of network in the U.S. and the first FTTH system in Oklahoma. rules and guidelines that define access and use of software; Recent projects include several FTTH networks for electric and Prospector, an extension tool for automating network co-ops, including Northeast Rural Services (Bolt Fiber Optic) planning and design. and Valley Electric Association, a winner of a Broadband The company also provides various support services, Communities Cornerstone Award. ACRS is headquartered in including design automation, data conversion and project Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has about 50 employees. management. 3-GIS | Augmented Design Services (ADS) provides a team of fiber network engineers, OSP engineers, Adams Telephone Co-Operative / CheckPoint project managers, GIS and database experts, and software Solutions developers to assist network planning and operations. The www.adams.net; www.checkpointsolutions.net company’s offices are in Decatur, Alabama, and Tampa, 217-214-2774 Florida, with development, design services, product support and project management in Bern, Switzerland. Key Products: Consulting services for FTTH deployers, including opportunity assessment software, support and systems automation

46 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Summary: Adams Telephone Co-Operative, a member- service providers, municipalities, utilities and electric co-ops. owned telco in Illinois, has deployed fiber for more than a The ADTRAN Total Access 5000 multiservice platform is decade. All the premises in its traditional service area have a widely deployed solution supporting thousands of gigabit access to fiber broadband, making it 100 percent FTTH, and communities in North America. In addition, ADTRAN’s its Adams Fiber subsidiary continues to build out fiber as a next-generation 10 Gbps FTTH technologies allow operators competitive provider in nearby towns. With almost 2,900 to double the lives of their fiber optic distribution networks miles of fiber deployed and a set of well-developed processes while lowering operational expenses by supporting enterprise and in-house software tools for deployment, Adams now and residential customers on the same network. These serves 30 communities with FTTH, focusing on places where solutions are complemented by a full suite of subscriber there was previously little or no coverage. experience, network modernization and system integration In June 2020, Adams Fiber was awarded more than $4.9 services and a pool of next-generation alliance partners. million from the Connect Illinois Broadband Grant Program. ADTRAN has bolstered its FTTH and 10G presence with This grant will cover roughly 50 percent of a $10 million total ILEC and electric cooperative customers. Lumos Networks is expansion project Adams has committed to in underserved leveraging ADTRAN’s 10G fiber access portfolio to deploy local communities in Adams and Brown Counties. This 10G fiber services for small-business customers. United broadband access deployment, which was slated to begin in Cooperative Services (UCS) selected ADTRAN to deliver Spring of 2021, will serve about 1,106 households, businesses, multi-gigabit services to the electric cooperative’s membership farms and anchor institutions in rural areas east of Quincy. in 14 counties across North Texas. In the U.K., Openreach The rural communities of Columbus, Payson, Richfield, will use ADTRAN’s SDX Series of OLTs and Mosaic Cloud Kingston, Liberty, Timewell and Adams will all benefit from Platform to make gigabit and multi-gigabit services available this broadband access build. Burton will also benefit. to 20 million homes by the mid-to-late 2020s with its Full Adams now applies its experience and customer service Fibre network. ADTRAN expanded its 10G PON portfolio spirit to help other rural providers plan and build their own with several new ONTs and launched a managed, cloud-based, FTTH networks. The company formed a new subsidiary, CAF performance test. In February, ADTRAN unveiled its CheckPoint Solutions, in 2016, to share its expertise Global Services Portfolio, which offers an ecosystem of turnkey with other small companies that wanted to build FTTH network implementation and maintenance and professional, in underserved communities and guide them through a managed and cloud services. It also expanded its SDX series of software-developed automation process from beginning to open and disaggregated network elements and added support end. CheckPoint Solutions counts several other independent for Combo PON within the ADTRAN Total Access 5000 companies as clients, such as Loretto Telecom and Green (TA5000) fiber access platform. Hills Communications, and has been responsible for helping In 2020, ADTRAN addressed specific internet of things telcos and utility companies from coast to coast successfully (IoT) scale challenges by offering IoT solutions that enable build thousands of fiberhoods across the U.S. at more than service providers, cloud providers and IoT sensor providers 2.8 million service addresses. CheckPoint Solutions transitions to better support the millions of sensors connecting to the raw data to actionable intelligence, fueling efficiency through access network, diversify their customer bases and generate automation, growth through demand generation and employee new revenue opportunities. To support rural broadband, in empowerment, and expansion through strategic direction and March 2021 the company announced the ADTRAN Total faster ROI. The CheckPoint Solutions platform is specifically Access 5004 (TA5004) Micro-Cabinet compact, modular, designed to meet the needs of broadband providers deploying fiber-access platform, a 10G fiber-access platform purpose- next-generation services. From the initial planning, through built for serving ultra-low-density environments to expedite designing, building, selling, managing and driving growth, rural gigabit coverage. In April, ADTRAN introduced the CheckPoint serves as a single point of operational coordination. IoT Gateway, a new LoRaWAN gateway that will enable Adams Telephone Co-Operative, founded in 1952 and based in providers, operators, VARs and solution integrators to support Golden, Illinois, has 115 employees. growing enterprise IoT initiatives. Based in Huntsville, Alabama, ADTRAN has 1,790 employees and reported ADTRAN revenue of $506 million in 2020. www.adtran.com 256-963-8000

Key Products: FTTH, FTTN and FTTdp solutions; software-defined access; subscriber experience; network modernization and management; system integration Summary: ADTRAN is a global supplier of next-generation broadband access solutions for residential, enterprise and mobile services markets served by cable MSOs, telecom

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 47 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “When I started Hotwire more than 20 years ago, I knew that bandwidth was going to be the predominant product going forward. Fiber has proven itself to be the best, most reliable way to achieve high-bandwidth broadband internet, with the ability to scale the gigabits per second a customer receives at a moment’s notice, making it vital for everything from high-capacity stadiums to integrated, smart-city government services. – Kristin Johnson, CEO and president, Hotwire

Advantage Engineers and more. AFL has service and engineering expertise to help www.advantageengineers.com customers plan, design, build and maintain communications 443-367-0003 networks, offering FTTx and MDU solutions for master- Key Products: Engineering and consulting services planned community networks serviced by telephone, cable TV and wireless providers; utilities/electric cooperatives; Summary: Advantage Engineers enables the future of and industrial companies and enterprises. AFL connects telecommunications by deploying innovative solutions customers’ unique project requirements with technologically to solve complex engineering challenges. More than 300 advanced product and service solutions. full-time professionals work in 18 locations with in-house The company continues to build on its core innovation professional engineers licensed in all 50 states and the District strategy. Over the past quarter, AFL was awarded five new of Columbia. From cable-route design to more advanced patents for technology and developments in connectivity and network engineering, the team at Advantage Engineers fiber optic cable. Founded in 1984, AFL is headquartered in provides the support required for planning, designing, Spartanburg, South Carolina, and is a division of Fujikura permitting, documenting, installing, testing and managing Ltd. The company has more than 4,500 associates around the clients’ fiber optic network deployments. The company world and operates in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia delivers a broad range of fiber solutions, including FTTH, and Australia. FTTP, FTTT, middle-mile, long-haul and relocations. To date, Advantage Engineers has designed more than 6,500 miles of fiber. The team recently completed a 150-mile Alianza mapping project for Baltimore County, Maryland, where www.alianza.com it located and recorded existing fiber facilities with survey- 801-802-6400 grade GPS equipment to better serve community institutions. Key Product: Cloud-based VoIP platform In April 2021, Advantage Engineers was acquired by – and became an operating company of – Network Connex, further Summary: Early fiber-to-the-home deployers were mainly expanding the company’s footprint and capabilities. telephone companies, but many new FTTH entrants have no history of providing voice services. For a broadband operator without telephone equipment or expertise, using a cloud- AFL based system is the simplest, most economical way to add www.aflglobal.com 864-433-0333; 800-235-3423 a voice offering – typically a high-margin service. Alianza’s Cloud Communications Platform, a web-scale VoIP software- Key Products: Fiber optic cable and connectivity, outside- as-a-service solution built for broadband providers, delivers plant fiber and electrical conductor hardware, fusion and supports residential and business VoIP services. The splicers, test and inspection equipment, training, design, platform does not require capital expenditure or equipment engineering, integration installation, and Alianza alleviates most operational and Summary: AFL’s converged access network solution helps regulatory burdens associated with phone services. Since customers build expandable, flexible, accessible networks for announcing a solution specifically for FTTH providers 5G wireless fronthaul/backhaul, FTTH/business, multiple in February 2017, Alianza has made inroads with electric dwelling units/multiple tenant units (MXU), campuses and cooperatives, utilities and municipalities that deliver FTTH venues, enterprises and central offices. The company’s product broadband to their communities. More than 70 ISPs, with offering includes wrapping tube cable powered by SpiderWeb more than 300,000 subscribers, use the Alianza platform. Ribbon (SWR), the ASCEND high-density platform, splice In fall 2019, Alianza announced several new customer closures such as Apex, Fujikura fusion splicers, test equipment acquisitions, including Cumberland Connect in Tennessee

48 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 and ecoLink in Oklahoma. Pennsylvania ISP PenTeleData Key Products: Internet access, Metro Ethernet, phone, TV launched a suite of cloud-based voice services for business and video services customers powered by Alianza’s Cloud Communications Summary: Founded in 2003, ALLO Communications, Platform. In fall 2020, Alianza integrated with NISC’s IVUE based in Imperial, Nebraska, has built fiber broadband Connect platform. It provides a complete suite of broadband networks throughout Nebraska as a competitive provider. billing, customer management and provisioning solutions for ALLO has a broad vision of fiber as a transformational electric cooperatives and supports the needs of contemporary technology and builds its fiber networks citywide rather utilities. Alianza’s Cloud Communications Platform provides than in selected neighborhoods. It helps communities use a turnkey VoIP solution that enables broadband providers to their networks to expand business opportunities, create jobs deliver a feature-rich, easy-to-manage portfolio of residential and improve quality of life. ALLO provides services in 11 and business communication services. Nebraska communities and two communities in Colorado. To enhance its cloud platform with video conferencing Several current projects involve partnerships with city and mobile applications, Alianza acquired CounterPath. governments. Breckenridge, Colorado, selected ALLO as the In May, the company launched Business Cloud service provider for its new fiber9600 infrastructure project, Communications for service providers, incorporating the which began connecting homes in late 2019. In Lincoln, CounterPath features into a single solution quickly launched Nebraska, ALLO leased city conduits, extended the conduit by Horizon Telcom to expand its offering to business system into residential neighborhoods and built fiber to the customers. Founded in 2009 and with new headquarters in home. ALLO also is providing 77 nonprofit organizations Pleasant Grove, Utah, Alianza has more than 100 employees. in Lincoln 10 years of free internet service. In Fort Morgan, Colorado, ALLO leased the city-owned fiber network to deliver broadband services. In summer 2021, ALLO plans to ALLO Communications bring internet to Fremont and Inglewood, Nebraska. In 2020, www.allocommunications.com ALLO reported revenue of $76.6 million, up from $65.8 866-481-2556; 844-560-2556 million in 2019.

NETWORK PLANNING, SYSTEMS INTEGRATION, DESIGN, ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION, INSTALLATION (Excludes companies that provide these services only for networks they will own or manage.)

COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS 3-GIS www.3-gis.com GEOGRAPH Technologies www.geograph.tech ACRS www.acrsokc.com GigabitNow www.gigabitnow.com Adams Telephone Co-Operative / Henkels & McCoy Group www.henkels.com CheckPoint Solutions www.checkpointsolutions.net InfiniSys Multifamily Technology www.rrh.com Advantage Engineers www.advantageengineers.com Inteleconnect www.inteleconnect.com AFL www.aflglobal.com IQGeo www.iqgeo.com Alpha Technologies www.alpha.com KGPCo www.kgpco.com Atlantic Engineering Group www.aeg.cc Last Mile Connections www.lastmile.net BHC www.ibhc.com Magellan Advisors www.magellan-advisors.com Biarri Networks www.biarrinetworks.com MasTec North America www.mastec.com Black & Veatch www.bv.com Michels Power, Inc. www.michels.us CCG Consulting www.ccgcomm.com CHR Solutions www.chrsolutions.com Mid-State Consultants www.mscon.com Conexon www.conexon.us NEO Connect www.neoconnect.us Corning Optical Communications www.corning.com Nokia www.nokia.com CTC Technology & Energy www.ctcnet.us OFS www.ofsoptics.com Danella Companies www.danella.com On Trac ontracinc.com Design Nine / WideOpen Networks www.designnine.com ONUG Communications www.onugsolutions.com Dycom Industries www.dycomind.com Render Networks www.rendernetworks.com Fiberdyne Labs www.fiberdyne.com The Broadband Group / TBG Network Services www.broadbandgroup.com Finley Engineering www.finleyusa.com Vantage Point Solutions www.vantagepnt.com Foresite Group www.foresitegroup.net VETRO FiberMap www.vetrofibermap.com Fujitsu Network Communications www.fujitsu.com/telecom Walker and Associates www.walkerfirst.com

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 49 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “In the post-pandemic world, local governments are proving more willing to make needed broadband investments, whether alone or as part of partnerships, and state and federal governments are developing new programs to help fund these projects.” – Christopher Mitchell, director, Community Broadband Networks, Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Alpha Technologies the company has plenty of room to grow 1 Gbps and higher www.alpha.com broadband speeds as demand dictates. 800-322-5742; 360-647-2360 The cable MSO is also adding gigabit capacity in the Key Products: Power supplies, surge suppressors, enclosures Suddenlink service area and expanding the Altice footprint and batteries, installation and construction services through new-home builds. In February, it gave Optimum and Suddenlink customers access to smart Wi-Fi and brought Summary: Founded in 1976, Alpha Technologies is a Altice One entertainment to Apple TV. Recently, Altice worldwide broadband power systems player. Alpha products acquired Morris Broadband in western North Carolina, which provide power conditioning and emergency backup for provides service to 36,500 residential and business customers. video, data and voice networks. Alpha’s installation and Headquartered in Long Island City, New York, Altice USA construction services include structural engineering, rights of serves 5 million customers across 21 states and posted 9.9 way and easement procurement, site preparation, equipment billion in 2020 revenue, up from $9.76 billion 2019. installation and system turnup and testing. Customers in 50 countries include major cable television system operators, telecommunications service providers and full-service Amphenol communications providers. Alpha Technologies’ FTTH www.amphenol.com powering options include the FlexPoint line of 12V DC 203-265-8900 single-family solutions and the FlexNet line of 48V DC Key Products: Fiber distribution solutions, fiber optic multiple-dwelling-unit and small office/home office power enclosures supplies. Alpha, with more than 1,000 employees, has sales and service centers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle Summary: Amphenol is one of the world’s largest providers of East, China and Australia. It is a member of the Alpha high-technology interconnect, sensor and antenna solutions. Group, which EnerSys acquired in 2019. Its products enable the electronics revolution across a diverse array of end markets, including automotive, broadband communications, commercial aerospace, industrial, Altice USA information technology and data communications, military, www.alticeusa.com mobile devices and mobile networks. Founded in 1932, 516-803-2300 Amphenol trades on the New York Stock Exchange under Key Products: Internet, video and voice services the ticker APH and had sales of $8.6 billion in 2020. In 2019, Amphenol acquired Charles Industries, a manufacturer Summary: Altice USA is one of the largest broadband and video providers in the U.S., delivering broadband, pay of integrated environmental housings and enclosures for TV, voice, Wi-Fi hot spot access, proprietary content and wireless, telecom and broadband service providers. The advertising services through its Optimum and Suddenlink company is headquartered in Wallingford, Connecticut, and brands. Symmetrical 1 Gbps internet service over Altice’s new has more than 80,000 employees worldwide. FTTH network is being rolled out to residential customers in select areas of Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. AT&T Fiber / AT&T Connected Communities Altice USA plans to expand gigabit broadband services via www.att.com/att/multifamily-property/ an accelerated fiber build and its whole-home, mesh-smart Key Products: High-speed internet, next-generation TV, Wi-Fi service to 500,000 locations in 2021. This positions it voice, advanced mobile services to offer 10 Gbps speeds for residential and business customers next year. Altice USA is enhancing its existing hybrid fiber Summary: AT&T is the largest FTTH provider in the U.S. coax network in the Optimum service area and plans to As part of its agreement with the FCC to purchase DirectTV, launch 1 Gbps broadband service via DOCSIS 3.1. With less AT&T was required to deliver FTTH to 12.5 million homes, than 10 percent of the customer base taking gigabit speeds, a goal the company surpassed by serving 14 million homes.

50 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Today, AT&T markets FTTH services to 15 million locations has completed or is currently working on design or build in 90 metropolitan areas. AT&T Fiber gained about 1 million commissions for more than 130 networks, including 65 subscribers over the past year, bringing the total subscriber FTTH projects totaling more than 50,000 fiber route miles base to about 5.2 million. After the telco announced plans to that pass more than 2.6 million homes in 29 states. Some of spin off its WarnerMedia unit and combine it with Discovery the most recent have been in Colorado, Tennessee, New York in a $43 billion deal, AT&T CEO John Stankey said it will and Vermont. have more “flexibility to invest in 5G and fiber to support the growing long-term demand for reliable high-speed BHC connectivity.” www.ibhc.com In 2021, AT&T plans to increase its fiber footprint by an 913-663-1900 additional 3 million customer locations across more than 90 metro areas, raising its deployment to about 18 million homes Key Products: Planning, design and construction of FTTx and businesses by 2025. Most of the 90 metro area locations projects where it plans to roll out FTTH already have AT&T fiber Summary: BHC (formerly BHC Rhodes) provides civil access. Looking forward, AT&T plans to more than double engineering services for public utilities and private firms that its fiber footprint in the coming years to reach 30 million build and maintain fiber networks across the U.S. BHC has customer locations by the end of 2025. designed and managed thousands of miles of telecom network The telco is an active participant in two Open Networking infrastructure for clients that range from small communities Foundation broadband virtualization projects: Virtual OLT to large international service providers. The company’s Hardware Abstraction (VOLTHA) and SDN-Enabled FTTx services include feasibility studies, cost estimates and Broadband Access (SEBA). Through AT&T Connected budgets; planning, layout and network architecture; GIS and Communities, the telco works with multifamily and AutoCAD mapping; hut site development and construction; single-family builders, developers, management groups and outside-plant design; site and route surveys; pole surveys; homeowners associations to provide communications and right-of-way permitting and asset management. BHC entertainment services. As the largest U.S. provider of pay performed design and related services for an FTTH network TV, AT&T offers video entertainment through its AT&T TV in Meridian, Idaho, resulting in 80,000 households passed. platform, which it launched in March 2020. AT&T TV is Based in Overland Park, Kansas, BHC was founded in 1992 the telco’s main national pay television service, positioned to and has more than 135 employees. succeed U-verse TV and satellite service DirecTV. (Although AT&T will support existing customers, it no longer sells U-verse TV.) In May 2020, AT&T launched HBO Max, a new streaming service with content from HBO, CNN, TNT, TBS and TCM. By the end of 2020, HBO and HBO Max combined had 41.5 million subscribers, up from 34.6 in 2019. AT&T revenue for 2020 was $171.8 billion, down from $181 billion in 2019, and the company has 230,000 employees.

Atlantic Engineering Group www.aeg.cc 706-654-2298

Key Products: Turnkey outside-plant services for FTTH FIBER AND FIBER CABLE networks These firms supply optical fiber for fiber access deployments. Summary: Atlantic Engineering Group (AEG), founded by James Salter in 1996, focuses exclusively on the design and COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS construction of fiber networks for long-haul, middle-mile, AFL www.aflglobal.com last-mile and in-building applications. The company helps Clearfield www.Seeclearfield.com lead the drive to combine FTTH and smart-grid technologies CommScope www.commscope.com into a single business plan for municipalities, rural electric Corning Optical Communications www.corning.com cooperatives and new entrants into the FTTH arena. Fiberdyne Labs www.fiberdyne.com AEG is headquartered in Buford, Georgia, but deploys OFS www.ofsoptics.com in-house personnel and on-site project managers globally. It PPC Broadband www.ppc-online.com performs project management, service planning, engineering, Prysmian Group www.prysmiangroup.com underground and aerial construction, splicing, testing Superior Essex www.superioressex.com and many other professional and technical services. It

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 51 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “The fiber broadband market in North America is exploding, boosted by a pandemic-proven need and more available grants and private funding. It will be a race to secure funding, competency and materials, which may lead to shortcuts. Fiber is a long-term investment and those who choose scalable, proven solutions will be the ones still around five years from now. It’s the responsibility of us in the vendor community to make sure the decisions made now will lead to high-quality networks and operations built to last.” – Isak Finer, chief revenue officer, COS Systems

Biarri Networks in Denver, Colorado, has offices in Australia, the Philippines www.biarrinetworks.com and Vietnam. 303-524-1710 Key Products: Software and services for FTTx design Black & Veatch automation, network planning, outside-plant engineering, www.bv.com mapping 913-458-2000 Summary: Biarri Networks helps ISPs, utility service Key Products: Consulting, engineering, construction, providers, telcos, engineering firms, and consultants to design operations, program management and build fiber, fixed wireless, and mobile wireless networks. Summary: Black & Veatch, founded in 1915 and based The company also launched the first ever web-based tool of in Overland Park, Kansas, is a global engineering, its kind: Fiber Optic Network Design (FOND), a web-based consulting and construction company that specializes in optimization and collaboration platform for digital engineering, telecommunications, energy, water and government services. planning and design. The company continues to roll out new The employee-owned company has approximately 8,300 updates for FOND. For example, to help customers navigate professionals in more than 120 offices worldwide and has the utility pole attachment process for FTTH networks, Biarri completed projects in more than 100 countries. Services introduced pole and aerial span editing tools in FOND. Biarri’s include engineering, procurement, construction, design, team of experts also delivers designs and engineering outputs management consulting, asset management, environmental at speed and scale using the company’s patented algorithmic consulting and security. approach, combining technology, analytics, geospatial data and Black & Veatch has deployed more than 45,000 miles of industry best practices. fiber for commercial carriers, cities and utilities. In 2020, the In addition to FOND, Biarri offers custom-built design Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission chose Black & Veatch engines for enterprise clients, design services and consultancy to install a new fiber optic network along more than 200 services. In the U.S., the firm has 20 new and existing miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Revenue in 2020 was projects in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, $3 billion. In 2020, Black & Veatch’s telecommunications Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. business was ranked No. 2 by the Engineering News-Record. Last year, Biarri completed high-level designs for more than 10 new projects, passing 761,407 homes. More than two- C Spire Home Services thirds of those passings went on to become construction- www.cspire.com/home-services ready “low-level” designs. By May of this year, Biarri had 855-438-1009 already delivered almost 2 million homes passed at feasibility- level design and had commenced 10 more projects that will be Key Products: Gigabit-speed internet access, live streaming constructed in the future. video, digital home phone and smart-home services Biarri grew its team by more than 20 percent in the delivered over a fiber-based network past year, increasing its workforce to more than 100 people Summary: C Spire is building a fiber-based broadband globally. Rural broadband projects in Mexico and Canada, as network in Mississippi to attract investment and economic well as in the U.S., helped fuel the growth. Biarri, now based growth and pave the way for improvements in health care,

52 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 education, civic life, business development and expansion, and Systems as well as third-party CPE. municipal services. C Spire Home is taking its gigabit FTTH The AXOS platform at the core of the Intelligent Access platform to Saltillo and Gulfport, Mississippi and plans to EDGE allows software functions in the access network to add Biloxi this year to cover roughly 78,000 new households. run independently of the underlying hardware; about 1,000 Using a demand-based model, C Spire Home Services – the independent application modules run on AXOS. Calix’s company’s residential broadband unit – expanded to 20 AXOS systems power Verizon’s strategic One Fiber initiative markets at the end of 2019. In addition to its fiber builds, to move residential, business and mobile transport services into C Spire advanced its network reach through electric utility a converged NG-PON2 network. To help service providers partnerships with Entergy and Alabama Power. It completed an transition to SDN-orchestrated automation, Calix introduced $11 million infrastructure project with Entergy, which serves the AXOS SMx access domain controller that enables providers 2.9 million electric customers. This agreement enables it to offer to deploy SDN-automated workflows while simultaneously broadband services to some of Mississippi’s most isolated rural interfacing with existing back-office systems. In 2020, Calix areas. C Spire signed a similar partnership with Alabama Power Professional Services added network consulting services to to supply fiber-based internet in Birmingham and other parts of its lineup. The Intelligent Access EDGE systems – including Alabama this year. The provider will use a demand aggregation the temperature-hardened E7-2 Intelligent Modular System – model in Alabama to help gauge community interest and guide support integrated 100GE aggregation. The E9-2 Intelligent decisions on broadband deployment. Edge System provides service aggregation routing with New and existing customers can take advantage of its broadband network gateway capabilities. Smart Wi-Fi solution. Powered by smart-home services Headquartered in San Jose, California, Calix had 2019 provider Plume, Smart Wi-Fi improves coverage while offering revenue of $424 million, rising to $542 million in 2020 online security. Alabama communities are seeing multiple despite global pandemic and supply chain headwinds. Calix construction starts and deployments after C Spire announced employed 785 people at the end of 2020. a $1 billion investment to speed the availability of FTTH networks. About $500 million is marked for fiber expansion in Alabama over a five-year period. In April, the company began construction on an FTTH network in Tuscaloosa County and is accepting consumer preorders. Construction also began in the north Shelby County cities of Helena and Pelham with

Alabaster expected to start soon, and the company began connecting customers in Jasper. Headquartered in Ridgeland,

Mississippi, C Spire has 1,499 employees.

Calix www.calix.com 408-514-3000; 877-766-3500 Key Products: Fiber access solutions for residential and business services, managed home Wi-Fi with value-added subscriber experience applications, network and services management software NETWORK TESTING, MONITORING Summary: With more than 1,600 customers worldwide, AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES Calix serves a wide range of North American FTTx providers COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS and a growing share of international markets with fiber access AFL www.aflglobal.com and home Wi-Fi solutions. Since 2017, it has leveraged its Atlantic Engineering Group www.aeg.cc transformation from providing wireline access systems to CHR Solutions www.chrsolutions.com offering software platforms, cloud analytics and value-added Conexon www.conexon.us subscriber experience solutions that enable broadband service Design Nine / WideOpen Networks www.designnine.com providers to compete with consumer brand giants. The Calix DZS www.dzsi.com Intelligent Access EDGE and Revenue EDGE solutions IQGeo www.iqgeo.com leverage its award-winning software platforms. Calix Cloud Last Mile Communications www.lastmile.net now delivers persona-directed Calix Marketing Cloud and Magellan Advisors www.magellan-advisors.com Calix Support Cloud solutions to more than 500 customers. Michels Power, Inc. www.michels.us The Experience Innovation Platform, a unique hybrid cloud- Nokia www.nokia.com premises software platform that supports residential and VIAVI Solutions www.viavisolutions.com small business subscribers, powers the Calix Revenue EDGE

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 53 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “With 5G, SpaceX and fiber optics, the information pathways are only getting bigger. This renewed interest in funding and focus could be the turning point that gets us back to once again being excited like in 1996. I believe today we are witnessing the calm before the storm.” – Bruce Smith, CEO, GEOGRAPH Technologies

CCG Consulting the company finished digitizing its 41-state footprint and www.ccgcomm.com rolled out DOCSIS 4.0. In response to the COVID-19 virus, 202-255-7689 Charter expanded its free, 60-day Spectrum broadband Key Products: Regulatory, engineering, marketing, internet and Wi-Fi offer to include educators who are new strategy and planning services; raising money for Spectrum subscribers. Later, the company moved to virtual recruiting, hired more than 3,000 new employees nationwide broadband projects and continues to hire during the COVID-19 crisis. Summary: In business since 1997, CCG is a full-service As part of its goal to deepen its rural market presence, consultant for small communications carriers. The company Charter announced plans for a $5 billion dollar initiative specializes in launching new broadband ventures and making to expand gigabit broadband access to more than 1 million existing businesses more profitable. CCG offers a wide low-density, rural customer locations with starting speeds of range of regulatory, engineering, strategy and planning, 200 Mbps. The cable MSO was one of the big winners in the operations, budgeting and billing services. The company helps FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction, securing clients design, upgrade and maximize fiber, coaxial, copper $1.2 billion in support. With 96,100 employees, in 2020 the and wireless networks. CCG also offers direct operational company reported $48 billion in annual revenue, up from assistance in areas such as number portability, new product $45.8 billion in 2019. development, cable programming, carrier disputes and billing audits. It is active in helping companies create workable public-private partnerships and secure funds for broadband CHR Solutions www.chrsolutions.com projects – a specialty for which demand is growing. CCG 713-351-5111 continues to work on numerous feasibility studies for communities of all sizes and is helping several communities Key Products: Engineering, network planning, managed build and launch new broadband businesses. NOC and managed IT services; communications billing software Charter Communications / Summary: CHR is a broadband systems provider enabling Spectrum Community Solutions clients to grow their networks and customer bases at rapid www.charter.com; www.spectrum.com speeds. It offers a range of engineering, business and technology 855-243-8892 solutions that support better broadband for telecoms, electric co-ops, utilities and municipalities nationwide. CHR has Key Products: Advanced broadband services, including designed FTTx networks that pass more than 2 million internet, TV, fiber Wi-Fi and MDU Wi-Fi solutions premises. Services include preparing applications for loans Summary: Charter Communications, the second-largest and grants; broadband planning; performing high-level, cable operator in the U.S., markets its services under the detailed, outside-plant design for FTTx networks; permitting; Spectrum brand. Spectrum Business provides broadband converting GIS/CAD files and implementing outside plant. communications solutions to small and medium-sized CHR engineering specializes in fiber design and has business organizations. Charter serves more than 31.1 million expertise in various communications technologies, including customers in 41 states through the Spectrum brand, offering xDSL, PON, active Ethernet, Carrier Ethernet and fixed internet, mobile and voice to residential customers. Charter wireless. CHR also provides B/OSS (billing, customer doubled minimum internet speeds to 200 Mbps in several management, business and network operations) and markets at no additional cost to new and existing Spectrum outsourced managed IT/NOC services. The evolution of internet customers. Spectrum Community Solutions helps the B/OSS product continues. Its new Omnia360 customer property owners offer technology amenities to residents, management functionality enables handling rapid customer including professionally managed Wi-Fi, TV and voice. growth. The system also includes real-time analytics to In February 2020, Charter announced plans to move support better business intelligence and easy implementation toward 10G symmetrical broadband speeds. As a first step, of subscription-based prepaid services. New customers include

54 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Alaska Communications, Beacon Broadband, CobbEMC, SMB fiber products are available to approximately 254,300 Cross Telephone, Gila River Telecommunications and Point addresses, or 50 percent of the operating territory in Hawaii, Broadband. For example, Beacon Broadband, a subsidiary including Oahu and neighboring islands. of Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative (CCEC) in southern In 2020, the company also invested $25 million in Oregon, is building a new, rural, fiber-to-the-premises enterprise fiber products, including fiber- and IP-based core network and selected Omnia360 as its business software network technology. The investment positioned the company solution. The company is headquartered in Houston. to meet increased business and carrier demand within Greater Cincinnati and in contiguous markets in the Midwest region. In Hawaii, expenditures are for high-bandwidth data transport Cincinnati Bell products, such as Metro Ethernet, including the Southeast Asia www.cincinnatibell.com; www.cincinnatibell.com/Fioptics to U.S. cable. Cincinnati Bell continues to evolve and optimize 513-566-4101; 888-246-2355 network assets to support the migration of legacy products Key Products: Telephone, data, video, wireless and to new technology. As of December 31, 2020, the company information technology solutions increased the total number of commercial addresses with fiber- based services (referred to as lit addresses) to 30,200 in Greater Summary: Cincinnati Bell and its consolidated subsidiaries Cincinnati and 21,200 in Hawaii by connecting approximately provide integrated communications and IT solutions. 1,400 additional lit addresses in Greater Cincinnati and During 2020, the company passed an additional 13,600 900 additional lit addresses in Hawaii. The company also addresses in the Greater Cincinnati area with Fioptics, which expanded the fiber network to span more than 12,900 route included a focus on FTTP addresses, as FTTP has become miles in Greater Cincinnati and 4,900 route miles in Hawaii a more relevant solution for its customers. As of December and provided cell site backhaul services to approximately 90 31, 2020, Fioptics products are available to approximately percent of the 1,000 cell sites in the Greater Cincinnati market. 637,000 customer locations, or 75 percent of the Greater Approximately 97 percent of these sites and 80 percent of the Cincinnati operating territory. Last year, the company passed 1,100 cell sites in Hawaii are lit with fiber. Cincinnati Bell’s an additional 7,900 addresses in Hawaii. The consumer/ revenue in 2020 was $1.56 billion.

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 55 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “Greenlight Networks is thrilled to start bringing high-speed, fiber internet to the Buffalo and Binghamton areas and to continue in our tenth year of expanding throughout the Rochester region. As we emerge from the pandemic, we see a deeper appreciation for fiber broadband service and our ability to offer blazingly fast upload and download speeds for customers. Our team is so proud and honored to be included in the Top 100 companies list.” – Mark Murphy, CEO, Greenlight Networks

Clearfield Comcast Cable / XFINITY Communities www.Seeclearfield.com www.comcast.com; www.xfinity.com/xfinitycommunities 763-476-6866; 800-422-2537 Key Products: Internet, video, voice and home security Key Products: Fiber distribution and protection systems for services inside plant, outside plant and access networks Summary: Comcast delivers internet, phone and media Summary: Headquartered in Minneapolis, Clearfield designs services to residential and business customers under the and manufactures fiber management, fiber protection and XFINITY and Comcast Business brands. XFINITY fiber delivery products that accelerate fiber services activation. Communities works with building and property owners, The company has four main product lines: FieldSmart fiber developers, leasing agents and homeowners associations distribution systems for the inside plant and FieldSmart to provide services to MDU residents. Comcast offers 1 fiber scalability centers for the outside plant; a fiber delivery Gbps service to nearly all the homes and businesses in its point series for access networks; FieldShield, an optical fiber delivery and protection platform made of microduct and U.S. territory over its HFC network, using DOCSIS 3.1 preconnectorized pushable fiber; and the YOURx platform, technology. It also delivers FTTH-based gigabit residential which accepts multiple types of drop cable media. All service in greenfield MDUs and offers a premium 2 Gbps Clearfield product lines integrate with the Clearview Cassette symmetrical residential FTTH service to about 18 million 12-fiber management system. homes. In 2019, Comcast launched an in-home Wi-Fi In 2020, Clearfield introduced three products to digital security service and expanded its managed broadband accelerate fiber deployments and reduce material and labor footprint into Canada. The cable MSO also has enhanced its costs. The FieldSmart Fiber Active Cabinet for outdoor Wi-Fi management and smart-city capabilities. enclosures provides a single point of contact for passive and Comcast acquired Deep Blue Communications, which powered cabinet solutions. In April, Clearfield introduced provides engineering, installation and commercial Wi-Fi the StreetSmart Fiber Hand-Off Box for fiber-based 5G network management services. Meanwhile, its IoT subsidiary, deployments and its Home Deployment Kits, allowing DIY machineQ, collaborates with Neptune Technology Group to customers to complete the fiber connection from outside the accelerate smart-city projects for advanced water metering and home to the customer premises. infrastructure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Comcast In addition to enhancing its product line, Clearfield raised speeds of its Internet Essentials offering for lower- added a manufacturing plant in Tijuana, Mexico. In October income subscribers from 15/2 Mbps to 25/3 Mbps for all new 2020, Clearfield introduced its FieldSmart Fiber Delivery and existing customers. New families that connect will get 60 Point (FDP) indoor 288-port wall box, optimized for dense days of free internet service. MDU environments and designed to streamline large MDU At the end of 2020, Comcast Cable had 33.1 million total deployments. This year, Clearfield launched a new 48-port adapter configuration for its Clearview Blue Cassette, which customer relationships, including 30.7 million residential and allows service providers to easily scale fiber capacity and 2.43 million business relationships. Passing more than 59 improve data rates. Earlier this year, Clearfield partnered million homes and businesses, Comcast’s total penetration of with four other manufacturers (Prysmian Group, Dura-Line, homes and businesses was 56 percent. A total of 31 million Oldcastle Infrastructure and Primex) to launch the FiberONE residential customers subscribe to Comcast’s high-speed program, which will offer a broadband infrastructure solution internet services, and 19.8 million subscribe to video services. to all rural areas of Canada. Clearfield, which has 240 Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast Cable is a division employees, posted $93 million in revenue for the year ending of Comcast Corporation. Comcast Cable reported 2020 September 2020, up from $85 million in 2019. revenue of $60.1 billion, up from $60 billion in 2020.

56 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021

FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST

CommScope announced plans to spin off its Home Networks business into www.commscope.com a new, independent public company. The move is an early part 828-324-2200; 800-982-1708 of the CommScope NEXT strategy to optimize the business portfolio and control costs. In 2020, CommScope’s revenue Key Products: Cable and connectivity products was $8.43 billion, up from $8.34 billion in 2019. Summary: With a suite of headend/central office, outside- plant and end-user broadband solutions, CommScope Co-Mo Connect provides carriers, electric co-ops and other operators solutions www.co-mo.net; www.co-mo.coop to address residential, MDU, commercial and cellular 660-433-5521; 800-781-0157 backhaul applications. Founded in Hickory, North Carolina, CommScope is the largest supplier of subscriber-premises Key Products: Gigabit internet, HDTV, phone service connectivity and conduit products. By acquiring ARRIS Summary: A decade ago, Co-Mo Electric Cooperative, and its subsidiary, Ruckus Networks, in 2019, CommScope headquartered in Tipton, Missouri, served an area only 15 solidified its position as a wired and wireless communications percent covered by broadband. In response to customer infrastructure solution provider. demand, it launched a successful FTTH pilot project that To capture the strategic value of the acquisitions, eventually led to the construction of a privately funded, $70 CommScope realigned into four business segments in 2020 – million, 4,000-mile fiber network covering the co-op’s entire Venue and Campus Networks, Broadband Networks, Outdoor 2,300-square-mile territory. Operating under the name Wireless Networks and Home Networks. Ruckus Wi-Fi Co-Mo Connect, the network set an example that other products continue to gain traction; XFINITY Communities electric co-ops have followed. Co-Mo Connect offers internet equipped Vantage, an off-campus housing development for speeds that range from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps as well as phone Temple University students, with Ruckus Wi-Fi platforms. The and television services. In 2018, Co-Mo was awarded more new Ruckus R750 802.11ax indoor Wi-Fi access point is Wi-Fi than $21 million over 10 years from the FCC Connect CERTIFIED 6 from the Wi-Fi Alliance. In 2021, the company America Fund II auction. The money will support the current launched the NOVUX Portfolio of Global Fiber Deployment network and help expand it into adjacent areas. Solutions, a flexible, modular architecture that allows operators The company is in the process of building out its network to use 75 percent fewer components than existing solutions in three new areas of Missouri – Barnett, Jamestown, and while delivering 50 times the number of configurations. It Prairie Home – and is conducting an active sign-up campaign also expanded its RUCKUS Wi-Fi 6 Portfolio for hospitality, in Otterville. Before Co-Mo begins building out services MDUs and Smart Spaces. Earlier this year, CommScope in a new city, it must reach a sign-up goal of 30 percent of residents. Co-Mo Connect serves thousands of Missouri subscribers with internet speeds that can support smart- home technologies and farm technologies proven to increase revenue. The company has about 80 employees. NETWORK MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS These companies provide OSS or software for network monitoring, Comsof optimization, provisioning, service management, subscriber www.comsof.com management, billing and related functions. 416-594-9777 Key Product: COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS FTTx network planning and design software 3-GIS www.3-gis.com Summary: Comsof is the creator of Comsof Fiber, a solution ADTRAN www.adtran.com for the automated planning and design of FTTx networks. Calix www.calix.com With more than 100 million homes planned in more than CHR Solutions www.chrsolutions.com 50 countries, Comsof Fiber makes fiber network design COS Systems www.cossystems.com smart, fast and intuitive. Comsof Fiber’s automation and DZS www.dzsi.com optimization enables smart-business decisions in the strategic ETI Software Solutions www.etisoftware.com planning phase and future-proof FTTx architecture during EXFO www.exfo.com the detailed network design. This is possible because of the GEOGRAPH Technologies www.geograph.tech unique combination of algorithms that integrate real-world GLDS www.glds.com design rules and optimization capabilities based on GIS data. IQGeo www.iqgeo.com Mapcom Systems www.mapcom.com Nokia www.nokia.com VETRO FiberMap www.vetrofibermap.com

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Learn more at www.etisoftware.com or email [email protected] FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “As America grapples with how to expand broadband access and affordability, there’s one basic business principle to consider that can address both: competition. In markets where true broadband competition exists, we see better prices, more reliable service and greater access. Open-access networks promote competition, and UTOPIA Fiber has proven that they work well in urban, suburban and even rural areas.” – Roger Timmerman, executive director/CEO, UTOPIA Fiber

Conexon Consolidated Communications www.conexon.us www.consolidated.com 202-798-3884 844-968-7224 Key Products: Consulting services, fiber design and Key Products: High-speed internet, data, phone, security, construction management, funding and operations for managed services, cloud services, wholesale carrier rural electric cooperatives deploying FTTH solutions Summary: Conexon is a leader in the electric cooperative Summary: Based in Mattoon, Illinois, Consolidated broadband movement, with a mission of closing the digital Communications is a broadband provider serving consumers, divide through fiber to the home. Founded in 2015, Conexon’s businesses and wireless and wireline carriers across rural and architecture and approach enables electric cooperatives to metro communities in a 23-state area. Consolidated has built leverage their infrastructures to deliver fiber broadband services a fiber network spanning 47,400 fiber route miles. In 2021, efficiently and affordably to 100 percent of their membership. the company embarked on an ambitious fiber expansion plan The company is composed of professionals who have worked in electric cooperatives and the telecommunications industry, that will deliver symmetrical, multi-gig speeds via new FTTP and offer decades of individual experience in business planning, networks to more than 70 percent of its service footprint building networks, marketing and selling telecommunications. by 2025. An early adopter of public-private partnerships, Conexon offers clients end-to-end broadband deployment and Consolidated has worked with numerous rural towns operations support, working with them to analyze economic throughout northern New England to build out townwide feasibility, secure financing, design the network, manage FTTH networks that provide up to 1 Gbps symmetrical speeds construction, provide operational support, optimize business to residents. The company offers various over-the-top options performance and determine optimal partnerships. to complement its fiber services and provides enhanced security To date, Conexon has assisted nearly 200 electric and business communications solutions, including DDoS cooperatives, nearly 50 of which are deploying fiber networks, Mitigation, Cloud Secure, ProConnect and several productivity with approximately 500,000 rural Americans across the U.S. tools. Consolidated Communications reported $1.30 billion in connected to fiber to the home. Overall, the company has 2020 revenues and has 3,200 employees. secured more than $1.3 billion in federal and state funding for its clients across the country. In 2021, Conexon launched its internet service provider subsidiary, Conexon Connect, an Corning Optical Communications entity formed to operate and manage cooperative and investor- www.corning.com owned, fiber-to-the-home networks. Conexon Connect recently 828-901-5000 participated as part of Conexon’s Rural Electric Cooperative Key Products: Optical fiber, optical fiber cable, FTTx Consortium, a bidding entity awarded more than $1.1 billion product suite (cabinets, splitters, terminals, housings, through the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) drops), closures, connectors, cable assemblies, wireless Phase I auction to deliver broadband service at the gigabit access networks, engineering services, training tier. The Connect awards encompass dozens of electric co-op territories throughout 10 states and will result in lightning- Summary: In 2020, Corning marked the 50th anniversary fast symmetrical broadband service to more than 2 million of the first commercial, low-loss optical fiber – an innovation Americans – fiber to 100 percent of rural homes and businesses that transformed the communications industry. Corning in all the territories awarded in the RDOF auction. Conexon remains a top provider in passive optical products and is the has grown to 300 employees strong and is headquartered in world’s largest fiber producer; it opened a new fiber factory Kansas City, Missouri. in Poland last year. The company has been behind many

60 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 innovations, including loose-tube cable design, plug-and-play and in February 2021, COS brought on new CEO Mikael solutions for LAN, and data-center applications. Its hardened, Philipsson, who will further advance the company’s goal of pre-connectorized products offer providers new FTTH automating fiber networks globally. One of the company’s network deployment options, such as its ultra-bend-insensitive founders, Anders Lindehall, will manage and strengthen ClearCurve product suite, designed to lower installation costs relations with existing partners. New product functionality by minimizing the need for highly skilled labor. includes billing platform integrations and a workflow engine Designed for long-haul, metro and FTTH network to automate new customer hook-ups. Recently, COS entered applications, Corning’s SMF-28 Ultra Optical Fiber combines a partnership with Render Networks, a digital network low attenuation with improved macro bend performance. construction platform that accelerates deployment durations Corning responded to the need for higher fiber counts and connection experiences. Privately held COS Systems is with RocketRibbon, which doubles the density of fiber in a headquartered in Umeå, Sweden, and has U.S. headquarters 200-micron outer diameter. In 2020, the biggest news from in New York City. With 19 employees, it posted revenue of $4 Corning involved fiber-fed 5G deployments in buildings. million for 2020. The company introduced smaller, 5G-ready connectivity solutions; began a collaboration with Qualcomm Cox Communications Technologies on 5G mmWave in-building network systems; www.cox.com launched commercially available in-building 5G with 800-234-3993 Verizon; and announced collaboration with EnerSys to simplify delivery of fiber and power to small-cell wireless sites, Key Products: High-speed internet, digital video, voice and speeding 5G deployment. smart-home services UL and the Telecommunications Industry Association Summary: The largest private telecom company in the U.S., launched the world’s first comprehensive SPIRE Smart Cox Communications serves 6 million homes and businesses Building Program in collaboration with Corning. Corning across 18 states. Cox was one of the first to launch residential also introduced its Evolv hardened connectivity solutions gigabit internet speeds, now available to all customers designed to accelerate deployment of fiber networks and nationwide. It joined NCTA, CableLabs, Cable Europe and launched its Pushlok connector, reducing terminal size, other large cable operators to implement the 10G initiative, facilitating lower costs and allowing quick connectivity. In a technology platform that provides a path from 1 Gbps to 2020, Corning’s optical communications business reported 10 Gbps over existing HFC plant. Cox also teamed with $3.6 billion in revenue. The company has experienced US Ignite to help make Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Diego unprecedented demand as the world emerges from lockdown among the first “smart gigabit communities.” In addition, and is actively investing to expand manufacturing capacity to Cox launched Cox2M, which provides custom IoT solutions meet the needs of the markets it serves. for businesses and cities. Cox has been a leader in bridging the digital divide for COS Systems low-income families with school-age children through its www.cossystems.com Connect2Compete internet offer. This past year, it increased 800-562-1730 program speeds and helped connect more than 60,000 new customers during the pandemic. The company also pledged Key Products: Demand aggregation software, BSS/OSS for $60 million over the next year to close the digital learning managing open-access fiber networks gap. In 2020, Cox increased its internet speeds and offered Summary: The COS Systems software suite helps network new, affordable packages to help those impacted by the owners profitably plan, deploy and manage broadband pandemic stay connected and to support the communities networks to deliver services from one or more providers. it serves. The company also joined the FCC’s Keep America COS Service Zones is a demand aggregation tool that Connected initiative. enables network builders to identify grassroots interest in Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox better broadband, spread awareness of their projects and Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in 1898 by presell internet connections using a fiberhood approach. James M. Cox, who later served three terms as governor of COS Business Engine is a BSS/OSS suite for automation of Ohio. Cox Communities is the division that delivers solutions the business processes and operations of fiber networks. It to MDU owners, managers and developers, SFU developers, enables operators to market and sell services from multiple and the residents and owners within their communities to providers in an online marketplace with zero-touch service support them in optimizing rents and occupancy and making provisioning. their properties future-ready. The cable MSO continually COS clients include private ISPs and operators, public- enhances its business services line through organic fiber builds private partnerships, municipalities and utilities and and targeted acquisitions. It recently acquired Charlotte, cooperatives in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. In North Carolina–based Segra, one of the largest privately held October 2020, COS Systems was acquired by Pivot Partners, fiber infrastructure providers in the U.S.

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 61 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “We talk a lot about ‘underserved’ communities when it comes to connectivity, and in a way these providers have been underserved themselves when it comes to access to the tools and technology they need to rise to this unprecedented opportunity. We worked with operators to understand their needs and built a platform to empower them with a solution that modernizes their operations and brings their data to life.” – Will Mitchell, CEO and co-founder, VETRO FiberMap

CTC Technology & Energy operating from 29 geographically diverse facilities in 12 states. www.ctcnet.us Danella Construction performs approximately $225 million 301-933-1488 in work per year and is a leading installation contractor Key Products: Fiber and wireless broadband network for all types of utilities, providing services for the power, planning and design, engineering, financial analysis, gas distribution, water and communications industries. strategy, assessment, implementation Danella continues to expand its FTTH services for Tier-1 service providers and municipalities. By acquiring Florida- Summary: CTC Technology & Energy (CTC) offers extensive based Viking Utility Services in 2020, Danella expanded experience and expertise in all aspects of broadband strategic its underground utilities power and communications planning, needs assessment, feasibility analysis, engineering, infrastructure installation and repair expertise. Viking’s business modeling, grant strategy and grant writing. Founded capabilities include new construction development in 1983, CTC delivers independent strategic, technical and infrastructure, overhead to underground electric conversion, financial guidance on broadband primarily to public and nonprofit entities, including state and local governments, communications (fiber, coax, FTTx), directional drilling and cooperative and municipal utilities and nonprofit consortia locating services. and universities. With more than 15 years of experience with Danella also has been enhancing its management team. federal, state and regional grant programs, CTC helps clients In 2020, Danella Engineering and Construction Corporation capitalize on funding opportunities. The firm identifies (DECC) tapped Danella veteran Dan Howick as its new vice program options and develops appropriate funding strategies president. He returned to Danella after serving a two-plus- that align clients’ broadband plans, including public-private years stint as the vice president of design and construction for collaboration, with available funding opportunities. Magellan Advisors. DECC offers broadband network design, CTC is a pioneer in digital equity analysis and planning. engineering, planning, deployment and implementation Through innovative approaches to data collection and analysis, fields. Howick can apply his experience as a licensed general the firm helps public-sector clients better understand the gaps and utilities contractor specializing in fiber optics to meet its that may keep all residents from making the most meaningful broadband customers growing demands. use of broadband. These approaches do not focus on building The company also is making efforts to boost diversity. In new infrastructure but rather on developing strategic guidance August 2020, it named Kate Howick as director of operations regarding the combination of factors related to affordability, for the company’s engineering division. Among her many device access, digital literacy, language barriers, security tasks is helping restart the engineering division, which focuses concerns and other issues that prevent internet adoption and on broadband, and managing its day-to-day operations. use. CTC is currently performing digital equity studies for Danella bolstered its ranking in the 2020 Engineering News- the cities of Dallas, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; Cambridge, Record’s report. The company was ranked No. 81, moving Massachusetts; and Bloomington, Indiana. up from No. 87. It also ranked No. 10 in the Top 20 Utility Firms listing. Danella Companies www.danella.com Design Nine / WideOpen Networks 610-828-6200 www.designnine.com; www.wideopennetworks.us Key Products: FTTH network design, engineering, 540-951-4400 construction, testing Key Products: Planning and feasibility studies; business and Summary: Founded in 1972 and headquartered in Plymouth financial planning; project management; network design, Meeting, Pennsylvania, Danella Companies has 17 divisions buildout and operations

62 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Summary: The broadband planning and network design products are the RT80 Trencher and the JT24 Directional firm Design Nine is well known for its expertise in local- Drill. To help contractors centralize fleet and machine transport and open-access networks. Design Nine’s services information, Ditch Witch launched the Stand-On Skid include fiber and wireless network design, grant-writing Steer, the HX30G Vacuum Excavator and the Orange assistance, needs assessment, broadband network buildout Intel Fleet Management System. Ditch Witch’s factory is in assistance, financial modeling, business planning, legal and Perry, Oklahoma, and the company has more than 1,400 organizational design of community-owned broadband employees. Its equipment is distributed through a worldwide systems, and project management. Open-access networks it dealer organization that operates in more than 100 countries planned and designed include Bozeman Fiber in Montana; through more than 170 locations. Palm Coast FiberNET in Florida; nDanville, Rockbridge and Wired Road in Virginia; FastRoads in New Hampshire; Dura-Line Corporation AccessEagan in Minnesota; and fiber to the home in Blacksburg, Virginia, and Charles City County in Virginia. www.duraline.com Design Nine’s subsidiary, WideOpen Networks, manages 800-847-7661 community-owned and private-sector networks, providing Key Products: Conduit, cable-in-conduit, microducts, network monitoring, service provisioning, service provider accessories attraction, asset management, billing and outside-plant Summary: Dura-Line develops and manufactures high-density management. The company has been recognized by “CIO polyethylene conduits for protecting fiber optic, electrical Review” as a Top 20 Emerging Network Solution Provider. and coaxial cables. It supplies fiber optic conduit and related WideOpen Networks plans to develop 40 miles of fiber in products to telecom, data, cable TV, power and other markets. Blacksburg, Virginia, in the coming year that will service up Customers include leading U.S. and international telephone to 8,000 homes. Design Nine’s broadband planning work and cable providers. Dura-Line developed the first ducts for continues to expand, with a sharp increase in the number installing and protecting fiber optic cables in 1981, introduced of feasibility studies completed and a steady increase in the number of municipalities requesting help. In the past 12 a complete line of fiber optic microduct products in 2001 and months, Design Nine has worked with 33 localities to develop followed up in 2003 with FuturePath, a bundled package of broadband planning and feasibility recommendations in microducts that can be installed the same way as traditional five states and managed four fiber and wireless broadband conduit. FuturePath allows up to 24 pathways in a single network buildouts. Headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, conduit, and the FuturePath Figure-8, introduced in 2018, Design Nine works on projects throughout North America. allows bundling seven microducts into one conduit for aerial fiber. Other recent product releases include new conduit and microducts made from a low-smoke, zero-halogen material Ditch Witch designed for use where smoke, toxic fumes and acidic gases pose www.ditchwitch.com risks. In February 2021, in response to the global COVID-19 580-336-4402; 800-654-6481 crisis, Dura-Line’s parent company, Orbia, and the Resilient Key Products: Construction equipment for laying fiber Cities Network (R-Cities), a city-led network to empower cities to advance the lives of urban dwellers, announced a partnership Summary: Ditch Witch offers tools that allow service providers to produce innovative, long-term infrastructure investments to dig efficiently through challenging terrain, congested that include connectivity. Dura-Line has 20 locations and roadways and manicured lawns to build FTTH networks. It 1,500-plus employees worldwide. specializes in developing underground construction equipment, including trenchers, microtrenchers, vibratory plows, horizontal directional drills, mud recycling and fluid systems, drill pipe, HDD tooling, vacuum excavation systems and mini skid steers. Ditch Witch microtrenchers are designed to improve productivity and reduce the cost per foot on fiber job sites. The FIBER-TO-THE-HOME ELECTRONICS company’s newest fiber installation offering is the JT20XP These companies provide FTTH electronic equipment for horizontal directional drill package, which features the JT20XP central offices, customer premises and home networking drill and XP44 mixing system for midsize utility installation equipment designed to work with FTTH. jobs. In 2019, Toro Company acquired Ditch Witch’s parent company, Charles Machine Works, for $700 million, a deal COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS that allows Ditch Witch and other associated Charles Machine ADTRAN www.adtran.com Works brands to access Toro’s reach and presence as a large Calix www.calix.com international brand. Charles Machine Works is also the parent DZS www.dzsi.com of several other underground-construction brands, including IQGeo www.iqgeo.com Subsite Electronics, DW/TXS, HammerHead, Radius HDD, Nokia www.nokia.com American Augers, Trencor and MTI Equipment. Zyxel Communications www.zyxel.com Among the company’s latest underground construction

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 63 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “Like others in the industry, we are seeing unprecedented demand from communities of all sizes for FTTH gigabit services and network deployment. Our teams are developing networks now for the delivery of multi-gigabit speeds to the end user because we expect it to become the standard for new networks within the next 12 months.” – Dan Sivils, chief operating officer, GigabitNow

Dycom Industries to banned or restricted Chinese vendors and in part because www.dycomind.com it’s one of the few large vendors in cellular and fixed 561-627-7171 wireless as well as fiber broadband. By the close of 2020, its Key Products: Program and project management, engineering, customers included 10 of the world’s top 25 wireline and construction, maintenance, installation services wireless telecommunications service providers and six of the top 20 mobile service providers. Its Chronos intelligent Summary: Dycom provides specialty contracting services, converged edge mobile transport portfolio provides a range including engineering, construction, program and project of fronthaul/midhaul/backhaul solutions. Its open software management, materials provisioning, installation and xHaul solutions feature flexible topologies and architectures, maintenance to telecommunications, cable MSOs and including O-RAN, across packet and optical transport broadband providers throughout the U.S. Its subsidiaries technologies. Chronos, xHaul and the DZS Velocity can be provide services to construct, install, optimize and maintain jointly controlled from regional datacenter to headend, central communications facilities. The company offers a full suite of office and cloud sites to network edge through its sdNOS turnkey services for wireline and wireless networks, including network operating software. Communications analyst firm planning, site identification and acquisition, architectural Omdia says DZS shipped more fiber OLT ports than any and engineering services, design, project management, other U.S.-based supplier in 2020. DZS recently told investors materials purchasing and distribution, infrastructure and it shipped more than 1.5 million mobile access ports as well. tower construction, equipment and antenna installation, cable Early this year, DZS raised $64 million in new investment placement and splicing, central office EF&I, commission, integration, residential and commercial installations, to erase debt and help fund market expansion. Though it has customer acquisition, locating services and maintenance. always been a factor in the U.S. market, it is a regional leader AT&T, Comcast and Charter all recently awarded Dycom in both broadband connectivity and 5G mobile transport in construction and fulfillment service contracts and extensions, South Korea and Japan and has moved strongly into cloud- and Dycom recently signed a rural fiber services contract native, software-defined networking. In February, DZS covering two states. Dycom is also finding new opportunities acquired Optelian, specializing in 100 Gbps 5G mobile to assist electric co-ops with their FTTH builds. Steven transport solutions. A month later, it acquired network Nielsen, CEO of Dycom, noted in the company’s fiscal control and automation innovator RIFT to build on the 2022 first-quarter call that fiber construction revenue from 20 million mobile and fixed broadband products DZS has electrical utilities was $44.1 million in the quarter (5.9 deployed in more than 100 countries. Revenue in 2020 was percent of total revenue). He added that this activity increased $301 million. The new DZS headquarters in Plano, Texas, organically 125 percent year-over-year. Founded in 1969 including an extensive engineering and customer lab facility, and headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with has been fully operational since March. more than 14,000 employees, Dycom posted $3.3 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2020, up from $3.1 billion in 2019. EPB Fiber Optics www.epb.com DZS 423-648-1372 dzsi.com Key Products: Voice, video, data and smart-grid services 877-946-6320 provided over a fiber optic network Key Products: 5G, network edge and cloud technologies, 10 Summary: EPB’s FTTP network is frequently cited as a Gbps PON, GPON and Wi-Fi gateways national model for deploying a community-based fiber Summary: DZS, formerly DASAN-Zhone, is having a optic network accessible to every home and business in its worldwide growth spurt, in part because it’s an alternative 600-square-mile service area. A municipal utility serving the

64 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Chattanooga area, EPB pioneered a groundbreaking business or anywhere utility power is not available. Available in 12V, plan combining a fiber optic network with cutting-edge 24V, 36V and 48V models, the VOLTAR 2.0 is the next- smart-grid technology. In 2010, EPB became the first U.S. generation solar UPS. ESPi distributes its products through provider to launch a gig-speed internet service accessible to various partners, including Border States, United Tel-Supply, all its customers. EPB also uses the Chattanooga fiber optic Graybar, KGP Logistics and Power & Tel. Founded in 2009 network as the communications backbone for one of the most and based in Clay Center, Kansas, ESPi is privately owned. advanced and highly automated self-healing smart-grid power distribution systems in the U.S. ETI Software Solutions EPB’s smart grid reroutes power around storm damage www.etisoftware.com and other disruptions to reduce outages by about 50 percent 770-242-3620; 800-332-1078 per year, which saves customers an estimated $50 million in annual losses associated with spoiled goods, lost productivity Key Products: Software products for managing broadband and other outage-related damages. A recent study by Bento service activation, billing, device management and analytics Lobo, Ph.D., documents $2.69 billion in community benefit Summary: ETI Software Solutions specializes in operational for Chattanooga during the first 10 years since EPB’s fiber software for service and subscriber provisioning, network optic deployment. Positive impacts include creating nearly configuration, inventory control and performance management 10,000 additional jobs (above normal growth), bridging the for broadband service providers. Designed for fiber network digital divide for students, reducing carbon emissions and operators, including municipalities, utilities and electric co- participating in more than 100 national research projects ops, Vision360 software features order entry and work order testing smart-city technologies. management, automated service provisioning, device inventory Today, EPB serves more than 120,000 homes and and device management, network management tools and businesses. In addition to being the first to launch 1 Gbps advanced visual analytics to help maximize revenue. speed, EPB also premiered the first 10 Gbps service available Today, ETI Software is experiencing tremendous growth as a standard offer to all U.S. homes and businesses in 2015. and momentum, led by its partnership with Microsoft and From the start, all EPB internet services included unlimited membership in TM Forum. This collaboration birthed a data, symmetrical upload and download speeds, and service-management platform that combines Microsoft customer service and tech support 24/7/365. In July 2020, Dynamics’ scalability, security and reliability with TM EPB partnered with Hamilton County Schools and other Forum standards and ETI’s expertise in device, subscriber community partners to launch HCS EdConnect, which and network management. Providers can now simplify the provides broadband internet to families with students in need process of device and application integration, subscriber and at no charge. Qualified families receive 100 Mbps speeds, service activation and consolidation of data to reduce costs, professionally installed routers and full technical support – improve customer experiences and roll out next-generation and they can keep the service for at least 10 years. EPB plans services faster and more easily. ETI software provides a single to raise funding to keep the program going indefinitely. EPB point of control, enabling solutions that deliver new insights also launched EPB Broadband Solutions in 2018 to help and more-personalized customer engagements spanning the other communities build fiber optic networks. In addition full subscriber life cycle. With the creation of Dynamics to offering expertise, EPB Broadband Solutions provides a 365 for Digital Service Providers, ETI offers enterprise-level range of services to reduce capital cost and financial risk while capabilities to providers of all sizes, fulfilling the mission of accelerating speed to market. putting subscribers at the center of the universe.

ESPi www.espicorp.com 877-799-3774 Key Products: UPS equipment for fiber installations Summary: Kansas-based ESPi manufactures several lines TEST AND MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT of UPS (uninterrupted power supply) equipment for FTTH installations. UPS backup equipment provides immediate COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS protection against input power interruptions until power is AFL www.aflglobal.com restored. The company offers indoor and outdoor solutions Corning Optical Communications www.corning.com as well as solar and hybrid units. ESPi’s UPS product line includes 12V NEO Indoor, 12V TITAN Outdoor, EXFO www.exfo.com 12V TITAN Solar, 24V TITAN-24, 48V Mega TITAN, Nokia www.nokia.com VOLTAR 2.0 Solar UPS, AC/DC Power adapters and PPC Broadband www.ppc-online.com other power supplies. The VOLTAR 2.0, an off-grid solar VIAVI Solutions www.viavisolutions.com solution, supplies uninterruptible power to remote locations

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 65 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “I predict you will see more and more community broadband networks (including municipally owned and co-op/EMC-owned), especially through public-private partnerships. Big telcos historically have compiled all three in their offerings, but this is an incredibly inefficient business model. Because each telco owns its own infrastructure and competes for customers, the ROI is negatively affected. By only promoting the deployment of a single ‘agnostic’ physical network, the savings are expressed in lower prices, more extensive deployment or both.” – Lee Comer, broadband engineering practice leader, Foresite Group

EXFO Key Products: Optical passive devices, multiplexers, fiber www.exfo.com optic cable assemblies, termination boxes, FTTH drop 418-683-0211; 800-663-3936 cables, fiber testing and installation services Key Products: Testing, monitoring and analytics solutions Summary: Fiberdyne Labs, Inc., established in 1992, is for the communications industry a manufacturer of stock and custom fiber optic products, including termination boxes, passive modules (WDM and Summary: EXFO, headquartered in Quebec, Canada, fiber splitters), fiber jumpers, pigtails and MPO cables and has offered testing, monitoring and analytics solutions cassettes. Recent product introductions include in-building for 35 years. The company has expertise in lab and field fiber tracing tools, FTTH drop cables, various wavelength- testing, providing solutions that automate FTTH testing division-multiplexing solutions and a new 1RU termination and workflows to boost efficiency and subscriber quality box. The company also offers fiber characterization of experience. EXFO’s FTTH test portfolio includes: fiber testing and installation services nationwide. With its fiber inspection solutions; OLTS, OTDR and iOLM, including characterization service, Fiberdyne can determine whether a CWDM and DWDM models; PON power meters; Ethernet fiber plant will support a provider’s network equipment and protocol testers; and end-to-end monitoring solutions for the transmission speed. Its installation services include managing, physical and service layers. In mid-2019, EXFO introduced terminating, troubleshooting and testing copper and fiber the Optical Xplorer, an optical fiber multimeter that verifies optic cabling. It also offers fiber optic splicing services optical links and automatically finds and identifies faults. to repair broken fiber optic cables or to splice on factory Also announced was the Optical Wave Expert, a device that terminated pigtails. Headquartered in Frankfort, New York, integrates DWDM channel power validation and intelligent Fiberdyne has 77 full-time employees. OTDR fault-locating capabilities on a single port. EXFO supports the end-to-end design to deployment ecosystem with test solutions for network equipment Finley Engineering manufacturers and network operators alike. The company www.finleyusa.com has been broadening its suite of 5G test tools and in 2020 800-225-9716 expanded development of its cloud-native, AI-based Nova Key Products: Broadband network consulting, design and A|SA Adaptive Service Assurance platform. EXFO operates engineering services in more than 25 countries and counts 95 percent of the Summary: Finley Engineering has 68 years of world’s top communications service providers as customers, communications and electric power engineering experience including Openreach in the U.K. and eir in Ireland, which and 30-plus years of experience with fiber communication were announced within the last year. In fiscal 2020, EXFO and data projects. Finley works with organizations that reported revenue of $266 million. provide fiber connections to improve quality of life and economic opportunities. The company has more than Fiberdyne Labs 250 employees nationwide and is one of the largest www.fiberdyne.com communications and network design companies in the 315-895-8470; 800-894-9694 U.S. Specializing in end-to-end engineering consulting,

66 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Finley works with telecom providers, electric cooperatives, provide turnkey solutions for FTTx implementations with municipalities and counties to find the best broadband the best of multivendor wireline, wireless and software strategies to fit specific needs. Every project starts with a technology. It has served as a prime integrator for high-profile strategic discussion regarding broadband and includes all projects that include an FTTH deployment by Kit Carson stakeholders to gather critical information and perspectives. Electric Cooperative in Taos, New Mexico, and a middle-mile Finley’s approach is from start to finish – from the initial network for Horizon Telcom in southern and eastern Ohio. feasibility study to project completion. The company Another key project was serving as prime network integrator continues to specialize in helping clients secure rural for municipal broadband provider FairlawnGig; Fujitsu broadband funding from grants and loans. In December currently maintains the network. A recent online survey 2020, Finley and CCG Consulting prepared the “Broadband revealed overall customer satisfaction with FairlawnGig is 94 Feasibility Report,” providing findings and recommendations percent. Traverse City (Michigan) Light & Power also tapped for bringing better broadband to the electric service territory Fujitsu, launching a gigabit broadband service for businesses, of the Farmington Electric Utility System. public facilities and residents in fall 2019. With remote work and schooling on the rise, Fujitsu Foresite Group deployed several new networks in 2020 and 2021, including www.foresitegroup.net a 53-mile FTTH network for Craig-Botetourt Rural Election 770-368-1399 in New Castle, Virginia. Valley TeleCom Group in Wilcox, Arizona, deployed the Fujitsu 1Finity optical networking Key Products: Broadband engineering, wireless services platform and Virtuora Network Controller, enabling its Summary: Foresite Group is a multidisciplinary engineering, existing network to support higher bandwidth and software- planning, design and consulting firm providing collaborative defined operations and management. A similar deployment services to public- and private-sector clients nationwide. Its was made for Pioneer Communications in southwestern broadband engineering practice area integrates expertise in Kansas. Fujitsu Network Communications is a subsidiary of fiber optic engineering services, management and consultation Fujitsu Limited, a global information and communications to provide comprehensive broadband connectivity programs technology company based in Japan, offering a full range of to clients and communities. To understand each community’s technology products, solutions and services in more than 100 unique needs, goals and capabilities, the company developed countries. Fujitsu Limited, which has approximately 130,000 a four-phase program to include a community assessment, employees, reported consolidated revenues of $33.7 billion for a broadband master plan, program implementation and the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2021. technology master planning. Clients include Huntsville Utilities, UTOPIA Fiber, Verizon, Google Fiber and AT&T. GEOGRAPH Technologies Foresite Group was instrumental in the Huntsville Utilities www.geograph.tech (HU) fiber infrastructure network buildout, in which HU 800-674-4803 designated fibers for its own use and smart-grid applications while leasing a portion to Google Fiber. The firm also Key Products: GIS-based software and support for designing, completed high-level design for an institutional network for planning, mapping and managing fiber, copper and the city of New Orleans and the Foundation for Louisiana. coaxial networks Foresite Group is currently working with Northline Leander Summary: Built for Esri’s platform, GEOGRAPH’s Development Company to provide fiber conduit consulting CrescentLink software empowers users to advance projects and design services as well as project management services for from design and staking to complete 360-degree views of its mixed-use development. Headquartered in the Atlanta area, their networks. Users can track and manage equipment, Foresite Group has 150 associates in 15 offices nationwide. individual cable strands, splices, poles, pedestals, hand holes, panels and every connection right down to the port Fujitsu Network Communications level. CrescentLink includes design, construction, staking, www.fujitsu.com/telecom reporting, cost estimation and project management – all 888-362-7763 within GIS. GEOGRAPH FourSevens is a free tool for broadband providers to submit the FCC Form 477 by Key Products: Consulting, solution design, deployment, parsing feature classes and generating the required CSV integration, operation, project management, NOC services file. The company shares its expertise with organizations Summary: Fujitsu Network Communications, based in looking to plan and build out network assets, audit and Richardson, Texas, builds middle-mile and last-mile fiber inventory existing assets and migrate data to a GIS platform. and wireless networks, partnering with states, municipalities GEOGRAPH works with a wide range of customers, and utilities. The company works with customers or their from local government entities to telecoms, utilities and consultants to plan, design, build, operate and maintain universities. GEOGRAPH was founded in 2018 and is broadband networks, delivering custom, end-to-end network headquartered in Clemson, South Carolina. integration. Fujitsu offers a vendor-agnostic approach to

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 67 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “The trenchless market will continue to have a solid future. The need for telecommunications and power is immense and trenchless is a preferred way to install these utilities. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an eye- opener and is certain to create greater urgency around the need to ramp up data connectivity.” – Dave Wisniewski, vice president, commercialization, Vermeer Corporation

GigabitNow and native (not DOCSIS) provisioning for Calix, ADTRAN, www.gigabitnow.com Nokia and other FTTH platforms. The company has installed 866-748-8066 solutions for more than 800 small and midsize broadband Key Products: FTTH network solutions and internet operators (12 new ones added in 2020), including FTTH, cable, satellite and wireless operators ranging from small services, including design, construction, operations, startups to providers with more than 550,000 customers. connectivity and customer support GLDS has offices in California, Wisconsin, Alabama Summary: GigabitNow offers communities of all sizes fast, and Lithuania and supports operators in all U.S. states reliable, affordable fiber internet without bandwidth caps and except Delaware and 47 countries worldwide. Key free from privacy worries or service constraints. The company products include BroadHub for billing and customer offers customized solutions, including full turnkey services, management (by salespeople, both in person and remotely) for the development, construction, operations, support and and SuperController for automated provisioning. delivery of gigabit fiber internet networks. GigabitNow MyBroadbandMarket allows operators to win new subscribers concentrates on providing gigabit-class networks and services 24/365 by providing a virtual salesperson that can take to unserved and underserved municipalities, multi-tenant customers through an online shopping, self-subscribing buildings and private (including senior living) communities. “mall.” GLDS hosts the platform, maintains security GigabitNow lit large sections of Fullerton, California, in certificates and ensures PA-DSS compliance requirements, 2020 as part of its FiberCity project with SiFi Networks and but it appears as part of any service provider’s online presence. started working with customers in neighboring communities WinForce tech, a mobile workforce management platform, on new connectivity services. It announced a new project empowers field techs with tools previously available only to for Placentia, California, in June of this year. Several other office staff. The GLDS best-of-suite approach ensures that FiberCity projects with SiFi are underway, including in critical features come pre-integrated, eliminating the need for Salem, Massachusetts – GigabitNow’s first residential/ expensive, lengthy development timelines. business deployment on the East Coast. The company is also deploying new FTTH community networks in Oregon GoNetspeed and Arizona. Founded in 1991, GigabitNow is a division of www.gonetspeed.com IsoFusion, one of the largest privately held, full-service ISPs 855-891-7291 and co-location providers in the Pacific Northwest. Key Products: Voice, video and gigabit internet services GLDS Summary: Headquartered in Rochester, New York, www.glds.com GoNetspeed serves residential and small-business customers 800-882-7950 on its high-speed fiber optic network. The company was founded by Frank Chiaino, who formed Fibertech Networks, Key Products: Software for broadband customer a company that built more than 14,000 miles of fiber network management, billing, provisioning and workforce across the Northeast. It launched services late in 2017 and, management during the first six months of 2018, built 100 miles of Summary: Since 1980, GLDS has helped small operators network across 13 towns in two states, serving more than look big by providing flexible billing and management 30,000 homes. In 2018, GoNetspeed began building fiber in software at affordable prices – including cloud-based options West Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut, that require a much smaller investment. Partnering with providing residential customers and small businesses access major equipment suppliers, GLDS supports FTTH, IPTV, to internet speeds up to 1 Gbps. This year, the company DOCSIS, OTT, LTE, wireless and legacy delivery systems announced its commitment to expand to neighborhoods

68 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 spanning approximately 17,000 households in parts of West the provider has tripled its staff and brought high-speed fiber Hartford, Rocky Hill, Bristol and Plainville, Connecticut, internet to nearly 50,000 homes in 13 municipalities. Last year, and completed the first part of its expansion in Hamden and Greenlight Networks announced an agreement with the City of North Haven, Connecticut, allowing more than 1,000 homes Buffalo to lay its fiber broadband network. Service is expected to schedule GoNetspeed installation. The company also to be available to nearly 10,000 homes across the Buffalo- completed its expansion in the Fairfield Beach area, making Niagara region by the end of 2021. This year, Greenlight service available to more than 3,600 homes. In Pennsylvania, Networks signed an agreement to acquire Plexicomm, a GoNetspeed constructed an initial footprint in select Binghamton-based internet solutions provider. The partnership areas of Pittsburgh and plans to quickly expand to nearby will bring high-speed fiber internet services to residents and communities as part of its multiyear, multimillion-dollar businesses in Binghamton and across the greater Broome and private investment. In tandem with its aggressive network Tioga County areas. In May, the FCC approved Greenlight buildout strategy, GoNetspeed takes an unusual approach Networks to participate in its Emergency Broadband to customer care and pricing. It offers 24/7 customer Benefit program. It subsidizes broadband services for eligible support and a lifetime price pledge guaranteeing that for the households as part of the federal government’s efforts to reduce entire time a resident is a customer in its service territory, expenses for those struggling due to the pandemic. GoNetspeed will not raise its monthly internet fee. GVTC Graybar www.gvtc.com www.graybar.com 830-885-4411; 800-367-4882 800-GRAYBAR (472-9227) Key Products: Internet, cable TV, smart-home security, Key Products: PON electronics, fiber cabinets and phone enclosures, fiber optic cable, fiber splice closures and Summary: GVTC, an independent ISP, delivers high- pedestals, DC power, fiber terminals speed internet, cable TV, smart-home security and phone Summary: Graybar is a North American distributor of to residential and business customers in far northern San products and materials for telecommunications and other Antonio, the Texas Hill Country and South-Central Texas. industries. FTTH and related solutions represent a significant Today, more than 80 percent of GVTC’s service area has portion of Graybar’s broadband business. Independent FTTH capability, with more expansion projects in the telephone companies and cooperatives, competitive pipeline. In early 2019, GVTC simplified its FTTH offerings exchange carriers, municipalities, rural electric cooperatives, with a new tier structure featuring standard symmetrical speeds of up to 250 Mbps, with options to upgrade to 500 contractors, wireless companies and cable operators all Mbps and 1 Gbps. Later, GVTC launched a premium Wi-Fi depend on Graybar. In December 2020, Graybar completed service with a Wi-Fi 6 router and a mobile app to control and its acquisition of Shingle & Gibb Automation, a provider customize subscribers’ Wi-Fi experiences. To date, GVTC of automation and control solutions to industrial users and has installed nearly 10,000 new routers. As of March 2020, original equipment manufacturers. Founded in 1869 as Gray GVTC ranked No. 1 nationwide among all U.S. internet and Barton, Graybar sells thousands of items from major service providers on the Netflix ISP Speed Index. manufacturers; its value-added services include kitting and A key element of GVTC’s fiber buildout strategy is ongoing integrated solutions. Graybar observed its 150th anniversary collaboration with the local economic development agencies and 90 years of employee ownership in 2019. A Fortune 500 and municipalities that use its fiber network to recruit and company with net sales of $7.3 billion in 2020, Graybar retain businesses. For example, GVTC built out fiber across employs 8,200 people at 292 locations throughout the U.S., Boerne, Bulverde and Gonzales, Texas, in partnership with Canada and Puerto Rico. It is one of North America’s largest the cities to make them attractive destinations for residents and oldest employee-owned companies. and businesses and is working with other nearby communities on similar fiber expansion partnerships. In March, GVTC Greenlight Networks achieved a net promoter score (NPS) of +44, up from +28 www.greenlightnetworks.com in 2020, for its Premium Wi-Fi Service using the full Calix 585-351-6600; 716-919-4300 Revenue Edge solution. This puts GVTC in the same category as companies such as Apple and Target, far above the norm for Key Product: High-speed internet services the telecommunications industry. To support the community, Summary: Founded in 2011 in Rochester, New York, in 2021 GVTC awarded $185,000 in scholarships to local Greenlight Networks is an ultra-high-speed broadband students through the GVTC Foundation. Scholarship service provider that builds, owns and operates its fiber optic categories include leadership, volunteerism and vocational/ networks. It offers residential and small-business customers technical. In addition, GVTC awarded funds from its Capital internet speeds up to 2 Gbps. Since Tom Golisano acquired Credits program for students in need. Located in New a controlling interest in Greenlight Networks in mid-2018, Braunfels, Texas, GVTC has 224 employees.

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 69 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “Becoming a subscriber-centric organization is what’s driving much of the network transformation of telecommunication service providers. Having a single system with geospatial information, network and device information, and subscriber information all in one view unlocks the potential for proactive insights that everyone is dreaming about.” – Jeff Fraleigh, president, ETI Software

Henkels & McCoy Group services to private residential communities, condominiums, www.henkels.com apartments, hotels, multi-tenant commercial buildings, 888-HENKELS (436-5357) government buildings, student housing and senior and Key Products: Planning, design, engineering, project assisted living facilities. Hotwire Communications operations now include a majority of the Northern and Southeastern management, construction, operations management, U.S., including Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, North installation Carolina, New York, New Jersey and Ohio, and new states are Summary: Founded in 1923, Henkels & McCoy Group added to the company’s growing network annually. Hotwire (HMG) is an industry-leading utility engineering and fully owns its fully redundant fiber backbone network, which construction firm and FTTH pioneer. With expertise in state- is monitored year-round. The company designs, builds and of-the-art fiber optic technologies, HMG offers end-to-end operates telecommunications and in-home entertainment solutions that address bandwidth needs, provide built-in future services as a competitive local exchange carrier and franchised capacity, and deliver reliable, robust broadband connections cable operator under its Fision brand. Residential services that drive economic growth and prosperity in rural and urban include ultra-high-speed data, HD IPTV, VoIP and advanced communities. Capabilities include feasibility studies, project home automation solutions. management, construction management, implementation of In 2014, Hotwire became the first residential gigabit outside plant and inside plant, and underground and aerial internet provider in Florida. Last year, it provided a 10 construction. The parent company of Henkels & McCoy Inc., Gbps symmetrical connection to the Fontainebleau Miami HMI Services, and H&M Shared Services, HMG has more Beach – one of the fastest hotel connections in the world. than 50 offices across the country, employing more than 5,000 It completed a 10 Gbps network (scalable to 100 Gbps) highly skilled professionals. HMG supports municipalities and for the Miami Beach Convention Center and was selected utility customers, as well as government agencies, educational to operate the municipal fiber optic network in Salisbury, and health care facilities. The company has been recognized North Carolina. Already operating in more than 600 with an E.I. DuPont Safety Excellence Award and is a founding communities, it announced a partnership and new investment member of the Electrical Transmission & Distribution from Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Blackstone Partnership. The firm is ready with the expertise and resources Infrastructure Partners this spring, pledging aggressive new to connect U.S. homes with dependable internet connectivity at deployments throughout the country. In 2020, Hotwire the speed of light. launched the Empowering Communities Foundation, a charitable arm of the company committed to bringing Hotwire Communications broadband internet services to underserved communities. www.hotwirecommunications.com Hotwire Communications is headquartered in Fort 800-409-4733; 800-355-5668 Lauderdale, Florida. Key Products: Residential, commercial and municipal high-speed data; network management; Wi-Fi solutions; InfiniSys Multifamily Technology security; whole unit/home automation; digital voice and www.rrh.com 386-236-1500 HD IPTV video services Summary: Hotwire Communications, founded in 2000, is Key Products: Telecommunications network design for one of the largest and oldest independent providers of fiber-to- multifamily buildings, technology amenity engineering the-premises communications solutions in the U.S. It began Summary: Since 1990, MDU owners have called on using 100 percent fiber optics for all new projects in 2002 and InfiniSys, a company that focuses on building multifamily delivering fiber to the home and IPTV in 2006. It provides electronic architectures, to differentiate their communities.

70 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, the firm represents Inteleconnect developers and property owners in negotiations with service www.inteleconnect.com providers and low-voltage contractors nationwide and 734-604-1563 oversees projects for financial stakeholders. As an independent Key Products: Service provider negotiations, financial technology consultant and developer, InfiniSys creates feasibility plans, fiber infrastructure design, consultation, comprehensive, standards-based amenity solutions that situation analysis include IoT, entertainment, access control, video surveillance, digital signage and messaging, energy management and Summary: Founded in 1998, Inteleconnect develops leisure-space control systems for new and existing apartments, telecommunications strategies for municipalities; colleges condominiums, student housing, senior housing, hotels, and universities; mixed-use developments and small, mixed-use developments and master-planned communities. medium and large businesses. The company designs and The thousands of projects InfiniSys has undertaken since its manages service-provider-neutral networks (it designed, inception (more than 500,000 living units) have garnered implemented and works with CLight, a dark fiber network many awards for forward-thinking solutions and exceptional in South Bend, Indiana); negotiates in-building distributed customer support. InfiniSys works with electronics and antenna systems for such institutions as Clemson University, infrastructure manufacturers, software developers and public Nemours Children’s Hospital and Lake Nona Medical City; and private service providers to create new products and and negotiates telecommunications service contracts to service offerings, including IoT solutions. It developed and enable advanced internet, cable TV and telephone networks. successfully trademarked both the NetworkedApartment and Projects include mixed-use developments, such as Avalon in SmartApartment design brands. Alpharetta, Georgia; Lake Nona Medical City in Orlando, Florida; Mission Valley in San Diego; and Playa Vista in Los Angeles. Institute for Local Self-Reliance www.ilsr.org; www.MuniNetworks.org 612-276-3456 IQGeo www.iqgeo.com Key Products: Broadband policy research and municipal 720-577-4732; 385-501-7155 broadband advocacy Key Products: Geospatial software that supports enterprise Summary: The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has a vision sales, planning, design, construction and maintenance of thriving, diverse, equitable communities. It builds local processes for telecom and utility network operators power to fight corporate control and partners with allies across the country to build an American economy driven by Summary: IQGeo partners with telecoms and utility network local priorities that is accountable to people and the planet. operators to deploy enterprise-side geospatial solutions that The Community Broadband Networks Initiative focuses on improve operational productivity and collaborations. The local policies that can ensure fast, affordable, reliable internet company has a cloud/mobile-first software strategy that is access for everyone. It runs MuniNetworks.org, an important moving it toward an SaaS model. Recently, the company source of information and analysis about local solutions with released Network Manager and Workflow Manager plus the a focus on municipal and cooperative ownership structures. 6.0 IQGeo platform. IQGeo’s transition to a subscription- ILSR’s publications, including its MuniNetworks.org blog, based revenue model saw significant progress in 2020, with toolkit and weekly podcast that covers broadband and more more than 90 percent of software orders using subscription (Community Broadband Bits and Connect This! on Apple pricing. In December 2020, IQGeo completed its acquisition Podcasts and elsewhere) have been instrumental in showing of OSPInsight International, a company offering fiber communities that controlling their broadband destinies is planning and design software solution for the telecom market. feasible and has the potential to improve local economies and The acquisition brought IQGeo a new market of smaller Tier- quality of life. In cooperation with NEO Partners, ILSR has a 3, Tier-4 and private network operators, such as universities, service called the Community Network Quickstart Program and a customer base of more than 200 fiber network (https://cnquickstart.com) for communities considering operators. Headquartered in Cambridge, England, IQGeo deploying or extending their broadband networks. The idea is posted revenue of $12.6 million in 2020, up from $10.8 to provide communities with realistic options, costs and basic million in 2019. With 50,000 active users and more than 260 background information for a variety of deployment options, telecom and utility customers, IQGeo markets its products in including fiber and wireless. The program is not meant to North America, Europe and Japan. replace consulting and engineering studies but offers a basis for considering whether to apply for grants or fund a more detailed look.

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 71 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “There come times in our lives where big ideas and innovation is needed, far beyond what we have accomplished as stand-alone contributors or companies. Where our endeavors up until now will no longer yield the results needed to bridge the digital divide. We are now at that time, and the way to get this done is to innovate together, collaborate openly, and challenge each other’s ideas so that when it is done, we can look back and be truly proud of achieving what we thought originally was not possible.” – Paul Sulisz, CEO, Biarri Networks

Keller and Heckman inventory management, logistics, site development, www.khlaw.com sourcing, supply chain management 202-434-4100 Summary: Founded in 1973, KGPCo provides network Key Products: Legal services, public policy advocacy transformation and supply chain solutions for the Summary: Keller and Heckman is an international law firm communications industry in U.S. and Canadian markets. The with a broad practice in regulatory law, public policy and company enables customers to build, optimize and transform litigation. From offices in Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; their networks by providing a single brand to deliver a Paris; Brussels and Shanghai, it represents global companies complement of network solutions. The largest communications and trade associations servicing a range of industries, product distribution and service solution provider in the including telecommunications. Keller and Heckman is a U.S., KGPCo combines a suite of technical strategy and pioneer in the use of interdisciplinary approaches to solving implementation services with a global logistics network and a problems and has an in-house scientific staff that works portfolio of technology partnerships. The company’s Solution closely with the attorneys on matters of technical complexity. Innovation Center evaluates, designs and engineers cloud, Baller Stokes & Lide merged into Keller and Heckman in virtualization and disaggregated solutions developed and 2020, adding its long, consistent record of supporting the operationalized in the live network environment. KGPCo is use of advanced broadband to drive the development of headquartered in Faribault, Minnesota. economically strong local communities. The firm represents public and private entities in a broad range of wired and Last Mile Communications (increasingly) wireless communications matters, both www.lastmile.net nationally and in more than 40 states. For the last two 239-202-2975 decades, the Baller firm has worked on many leading public Key Products: Management partnering, consulting and and public-private communications projects in the U.S. and capital-funding services has participated in most of the federal- and state-level battles involving restrictions on local internet choice. As founder and Summary: Last Mile Communications (LMC), an president of the U.S. Broadband Coalition, Jim Baller played international telecommunications management partnering a leading role in forging a national consensus on the need for and consulting firm, offers telecom and cable customers a national broadband strategy and on the framework for such experience across technology, sales and marketing, customer a strategy. He is co-founder and president of the 600-member relations, finance and accounting, government and investor Coalition for Local Internet Choice (CLIC), which works to relations, business administration, programmer and vendor preserve and protect the right of local governments to make relations, and executive-level management. Among its top the critical broadband infrastructure decisions that will affect telecom and cable clients are Altice USA, Comporium, C their communities for decades to come. Spire, Liberty Global, Lumen and TDS Telecom. It also works directly with several high-profile investment and banking firms, including AIG, Argus Capital, Deutsche KGPCo Bank, M/C Partners, Moorgate Securities, Morgan Stanley www.kgpco.com and UBS. LMC offers three service lines: management 800-755-1950; 800-328-5142 partnering, consulting and capital funding. LMC personnel Key Products: Equipment for wireline and wireless networks; manage the delivery of broadband services, data management

72 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 and mobile communications. The company’s consulting business-class broadband internet, digital television, digital arm specializes in providing hands-on industry expertise telephone and managed Wi-Fi services. Local, professional to private-equity investors, investment banks, institutional customer care supports the full suite of services. investors, broadband operators and telcos. It can also raise An early FTTH and IPTV pioneer, Lumos was the first capital to start, and continue and enhance the growth of in its markets to provide high-definition IPTV services and broadband and telecommunications opportunities. the first to reach 20 Mbps broadband speed, which it followed Several of LMC’s clients have actively expanded their with its 1 Gbps service. More than half the company’s ILEC networks via acquisitions and targeted fiber builds throughout network is now fiber-based. In addition to offering 1 Gbps 2020. LMC provided technical and operations diligence and services, Lumos recently doubled the speeds in its Essential and advisory services to Boston Omaha Corporation (BOC), Premium broadband internet service packages. Customers who M/C Partners and Moorgate Securities. One of its most choose the Essentials package get 150 Mbps download speed, active partners was M/C Partners, which acquired three fiber and the Premium package now supports 300 Mbps. and broadband wireless properties in 2020: Bel Air Internet Following the debut of its symmetrical gigabit broadband (BAI), AerioConnect and Metro Fiber. By combining BAI services, Lumos adopted ADTRAN’s 10G fiber-access with AerioConnect and Metro Fiber’s assets, M/C will create portfolio to deploy networkwide 10 Gbps fiber service one of the largest ISPs focused on multifamily residential for business customers. Initially, Lumos will offer tiered customers in the greater Los Angeles market. The company symmetrical speed profiles of 2, 4 and 8 Gbps and plans to also provided technical and operations diligence and advisory increase speed profiles on the same ADTRAN platform. services to BOC, which acquired Utah Broadband, a family- Lumos provides FTTH service both within the ILEC owned broadband fiber and fixed wireless internet service territory and strategically in areas outside the ILEC, where provider that offers services to 10,000 customers throughout it has captured many MDUs, commercial businesses and Salt Lake City, Park City, Ogden, Provo and surrounding mixed-use developments. In January 2021, the Virginia Utah communities. Another notable deal was Altice USA’s Telecommunication Initiative awarded a grant of $1.4 acquisition of Morris Broadband. LMC’s client, Moorgate million to Lumos and Boteourt County to expand fiber in Securities, acted as financial advisor to Morris Broadband. the county. The project will bring high-speed internet to 548 Outside the U.S., LMC completed its broadband services new addresses, including 30 businesses. Lumos also expanded analysis review project for Fortress Investment Group its fiber network to an additional 900 homes in Covington, Japan GK, headquartered in Tokyo. The project entailed a Virginia. As the COVID-19 crisis drove more people and broadband operational and technical review of a managed students to conduct work and learning in their homes, network operating in more than 36,000 properties serving Lumos enhanced current customer download speeds by more than 570,000 apartment units spread throughout Japan. three times to 75 Mbps on its Basic 25 Mbps Fiber Internet To date, LMC has served clients in more than 50 countries. package. There is no charge for the higher bandwidth tier, and With operational headquarters in Newtown, Connecticut, customers are automatically upgraded. Last Mile Connections has satellite headquarters in London, England, and Bucharest, Romania.

Lumos Networks / NorthState www.lumosnetworks.com; www.northstate.net 855-465-8667

Key Products: High-speed residential and business-class broadband internet, managed Wi-Fi, digital television and digital voice services Summary: Lumos Networks/NorthState is a fiber-based ILEC and part of Segra, one of the largest independent fiber bandwidth companies in the U.S. As part of Segra’s sale of its commercial business to Cox Communications, EQT OPTICAL LAN SOLUTIONS Infrastructure retains ownership of the Lumos Networks and The following companies sell fiber-to-the-desk NorthState residential and small to medium-size business solutions for corporate or campus LANs. operations and support it as a stand-alone company. In late 2019, Segra acquired NorthState, a provider of high-speed COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS bandwidth services in the fast-growing Piedmont Triad CommScope www.commscope.com region of North Carolina. The telco has provided integrated Corning Optical Communications www.corning.com telecommunications services to rural Virginia markets since Nokia www.nokia.com 1897, and the portfolio includes high-speed residential and

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 73 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “We stand at a point of true digital transformation, which will redefine our daily lives. Optical fiber stands at the foundation, and only through a deep, dense fiber infrastructure can we achieve the symmetrical gigabit broadband necessary to enable remote work, e-learning, telehealth and so much more.” – Seán Adam, vice president, market strategy and innovation, AFL

LUS Fiber electric cooperatives and private organizations. Magellan’s www.lusfiber.com portfolio includes more than 400 engagements for city, 337-993-4237 county, state, federal and private broadband projects. Key Product: Municipal fiber network provider Clients range from national, regional and tribal governments to new, master-planned communities, large cities and small Summary: LUS Fiber is a municipal fiber network owned rural communities. and operated by Lafayette, Louisiana, as a public utility. The Recent projects include a regional broadband plan for network delivers internet, phone and TV at speeds up to 10 the Northern Arizona Council of Governments Economic Gbps to businesses and residents in the greater Lafayette area. and Workforce Development; broadband engineering Recently, LUS Fiber expanded its services into Carencro, planning for the Ewiiaapaayp group of Kumeyaay Indians a Lafayette suburb, as a part of an ongoing effort to bring in San Diego County, California; strategic planning for fiber to every city in Lafayette Parish. In February 2021, the expanding broadband throughout the Marin County U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development region, in partnership with the South Bay Cities Council of Administration in partnership with the Acadiana Planning Governments and American Dark Fiber; connecting the 40 Commission awarded LUS Fiber a $3.1 million grant. It will schools in the Hillsboro School District in Colorado with fund the expansion of LUS Fiber’s network in Lafayette, St. gigabit fiber; conducting a broadband feasibility study for Martin and Iberia parishes, allowing the construction of 47 Skykomish, Washington; and conducting a statewide fiber miles of fiber backbone along Highway 90 between Lafayette engineering study and cost estimates used by Vermont’s and Iberia parishes. LUS Fiber is also participating in the Department of Public Service to propose up to $300 million FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to help lower of statewide grants and subsidies to bring high-speed internet the cost of high-speed internet for eligible households in to rural Vermont. Magellan’s projects have led to more than the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible LUS Fiber $1 billion of investments in broadband networks that connect customers can reduce their monthly home internet bills up to more than 1,000 schools, hospitals, libraries and government $50 per month. facilities and pass nearly 1 million homes and businesses with fiber and wireless broadband services. Magellan Advisors www.magellan-advisors.com Mapcom Systems 888-960-5299 www.mapcom.com Key Products: Broadband and telecom planning, deployment 804-743-1860 and management services Key Products: Software for visual operations, workforce Summary: Headquartered in Denver, Magellan Advisors management and service assurance offers services from project inception and engineering to Summary: Mapcom Systems offers a visualization-based implementation and continuing operations. Magellan approach to FTTH operations and management. Its M4 helps communities (including tribal communities) identify Solutions Suite encompasses the FTTH life cycle from PON opportunities, value assets, and negotiate and forge public- or active network design and feasibility analysis through day- private and public-public partnerships. Services include to-day plant/facility assignment and network maintenance smart-city consulting, comprehensive community broadband and management. It maps both outside and inside plant at planning, fiber master planning, financial planning, physical and logical levels. Providers use the M4 Solutions funds sourcing, business modeling, design engineering, Suite to model their networks and service areas, integrating telecommunications master planning, and deployment and and correlating data from billing, accounting, GPS tracking, project management for governments, municipal utilities, element management, network monitoring and vehicle-

74 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 tracking applications in a visual interface. Using the suite in Summary: MasTec provides engineering, design, conjunction with M4 Workforce and M4 Process Manager construction and maintenance services for wireline and technology, staff can communicate via mobile devices to wireless communications infrastructure, including cell handle trouble tickets, service orders, field locations and tower construction, fiber optic cable installation, wireline permitting. This year, Beacon Broadband and SEI Fiber construction and emergency maintenance services across the began implementing Mapcom’s M4 Solutions Suite, and country. The company enhanced its workforce to meet ongoing Ritter Communications chose M4 as its broadband network last-mile FTTH and upcoming 5G wireless demands. MasTec’s system of record. fiber business focuses on two initiatives: deploying high-speed In 2020, Mapcom clients received more than $80 million services to homes mainly through fiber and building fiber in a second round of broadband funding from the USDA’s backbones to support wireless backhaul and fronthaul services ReConnect Loan and Grant Program. Headquartered in in anticipation of upcoming 5G network builds. Having seen Richmond, Virginia, with a staff of more than 100, Mapcom what it says is “considerable backlog related to this initiative,” has worked since 1971 with independents, cooperatives, fiber MasTec expects significant growth in these areas as it goes from communities and campus telecommunications providers across early-stage engineering into construction. Headquartered in the U.S., Canada, Central America, the Caribbean and Africa. Coral Gables, Florida, MasTec can supply crews and equipment to its customers 24/7. The company, which has nearly 22,000 employees, reported 2020 revenue of $6.3 billion. MasTec North America

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JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 75 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “The last year has made it clear that access to high-speed internet has the power to change lives and communities, and that rural Americans have been caught on the wrong side of the digital divide. Electric cooperatives, with their commitment to make life better for those they serve, and their ability to deliver world-class fiber broadband affordably, hold the key to creating long-overdue broadband equality for those in rural communities.” – Randy Klindt, partner, Conexon

Michels Power, Inc. the company billed $3 billion in all lines of business. Michels www.michels.us has 8,000 employees and more than 40 regional offices 920-583-3132 throughout the U.S.. Key Products: Fiber optic network construction, including outside-plant construction, structured cabling and fiber Mid-State Consultants splicing and testing www.mscon.com Summary: In 1983, family-owned Michels, based in 435-623-8601 Brownsville, Wisconsin, became one of the first companies Key Product: Communications engineering services to construct fiber lines. Today, Michels Power, Inc., one of Summary: Mid-State Consultants (MSC) provides the Michels Family of Companies, builds thousands of miles communications engineering services for telephone, data and of fiber optic and broadband networks each year. Michels is video networks. MSC services a broad clientele, including a full-service construction company with clients that include local exchange carriers, RBOCs, interexchange carriers, oil and gas, other utilities and more. It serves all sectors of competitive access providers, ISPs, cellular operators, the communications industry – local telephone companies, communities, utilities and CATV operators. Services include broadband and cable TV providers, schools and enterprises. design and project management for FTTH projects as well as The company’s construction design and management services CAD/GIS mapping, conversion and construction supervision, include all phases of inside- and outside-plant engineering, growth forecasting, verification of existing facilities, including plowing, trenching, splicing, terminating, testing, investigation of potential migration strategies and cost constructing aerial lines, directional boring, rail plowing, estimates. The company is headquartered in Nephi, Utah, and installing cable, conducting site work and providing FTTx has seven regional offices throughout the U.S. solutions. In addition, it assists clients with forecasting growth, verifying existing facilities, investigating potential migration strategies and estimating costs of numerous Multilink deployment options. For 2020, Michels ranked 28th on www.gomultilink.com Engineering News-Record’s annual Top 400 Contractors 440-366-6966 list – the 16th year it has placed in the top 100. Last year, Key Products: Fiber distribution and cable management solutions, connectors, splice enclosures and cabinets; MDU enclosures; raceway and pathway solutions Summary: A manufacturer of telecommunications network DISTRIBUTORS OF components, Multilink, founded in 1983, focuses on fiber- management solutions. Multilink’s customers include FIBER OPTIC PRODUCTS independent telcos, RBOCs, utilities, local area network COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS providers and cable MSOs. Its products are designed to Graybar www.graybar.com meet the needs of both legacy plant and new technology KGPCo www.kgpco.com applications. The company’s engineering staff works closely Power & Tel www.ptsupply.com with customers to develop innovative designs and application- TVC Communications/MaxCell www.tvcinc.com oriented products to provide cost-effective solutions. Recent Walker and Associates www.walkerfirst.com product introductions include the Surelight H-IP, a fiber optic drop-cable solution with a field-installable application that

76 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 has an OptiTap-compatible connector. In 2019, Multilink cooperative serving Colorado’s Delta and Montrose counties, was granted new patents for fiber optic drop-cable assembly to build gigabit fiber (NEO wrote the grant application and preconnectorized cable assembly. In 2020, it introduced and coordinated all financing efforts for $2.2 million from a new fiber optical terminal connect closure. Based in Elyria, the state); identifying more than a dozen potential new Ohio, Multilink is a partner in Elyria Works Now, a public/ community and state partnerships for the network NEO private program to train local residents for high-paying originally designed for Denver’s school district; and writing manufacturing jobs. Multilink is privately owned and has a feasibility study and broadband plan for a joint project for 200 employees. Greeley and Windsor, Colorado, surrounded by larger cities already implementing gigabit strategies. Over the past few NEO Connect years, NEO has helped close acquisitions and investments www.neoconnect.us that totaled more than $135 million in funding for three 970-309-3500 service providers. Founder and CEO Diane Kruse has 25 years of experience in the broadband industry and has served Key Products: Consulting, feasibility studies, grants and as board chair of the Fiber to the Home Council (now Fiber funding advice; design and engineering services Broadband Association). Summary: NEO Connect advises clients about grant and funding opportunities, acquisitions, consulting, feasibility studies and engineering services for broadband networks. Working with more than 200 local-government clients across the U.S. and Canada, it has a track record for improving broadband and building smart-city networks, allowing communities to create resilient platforms for economic development and infrastructure projects. Notable projects last year included working with DMEA, an electric

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 77 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “Although 2020 was an unprecedented year, it changed the way the world thinks about broadband and energy. COVID-19 presented many challenges and an opportunity to bring awareness to the digital divide.” – Mike Boehne, president and CEO, Finley

Nex-Tech Nokia / Nokia Networks www.nex-tech.com www.nokia.com 785-567-4281; 877-625-7872 Key Products: Wireline and wireless network equipment, Key Products: Internet, video, voice, mobile, home security software for network management, IoT technology, cloud and business services solutions Summary: Nex-Tech was an early FTTP pioneer with its first Summary: Nokia, headquartered in Espoo, Finland, is a fiber build in Hill City, Kansas, in 1996. Initially launched major wireless and wireline network equipment provider. as the CLEC subsidiary of Rural Telephone Cooperative, It has a global presence with operations in Europe, the the parent company eventually took Nex-Tech as its name. Middle East and Africa, North America, Asia-Pacific and Since then, Nex-Tech has deployed fiber to more than 60 Latin America. The company is organized into four business rural communities and underserved areas in Kansas. The groups structured around customer offerings: Mobile telco continues to expand its network in rural areas of Kansas Networks, Network Infrastructure, Cloud and Network and is currently building FTTP in Great Bend, Kansas. Services and Nokia Technologies. The fixed networks Over its FTTP network, Nex-Tech delivers up to 1 Gbps business is part of its Network Infrastructure group and internet speeds, streaming TV, home security, and local and includes fiber, fixed wireless access and xDSL upgrades. long-distance phone service. The telco also provides business In 2020, Nokia introduced the industry’s first 25G PON solutions, including cloud services, cloud phone, network technology. However, it also remains a market leader in security, managed IT, physical security and surveillance, copper technologies, such as VDSL and G.fast, and has taken advertising solutions and network operations monitoring. a leading position in the growing 4G and 5G fixed wireless Nex-Tech supports customers with stores in more than 20 access market, with more than 90 trials and 37 deployments. locations, a full-service help desk and a 24-hour Network Its Quillion chipset powers next-generation fiber and copper Operations Center. By acquiring Cordell in 2019, Nex-Tech solutions and has more than 100 customers. gained a suite of network solutions for alarms management, Many providers use Nokia technology to deliver 10 engineering and network operations management. Gbps fiber services. Nokia is one of the few equipment Recently Nex-Tech received two funding grants that suppliers handling wireless and fiber broadband equipment. allowed it to make acquisitions and expand high-speed On the wireless side in the U.S., it is exploiting the Tribal broadband access in rural Kansas. In October 2020, the Educational Broadband Service (EBS) spectrum at 117 Mhz, company was awarded $800,000 in SPARKS relief funding made available in 2020 by the FCC, extending near-5G from the Kansas Department of Commerce. In March 2021, private wireless to parts of North and South Dakota, Nex-Tech received an $874,000 Broadband Access Grant Oklahoma and California in partnership with NewCore (BAG) from the Kansas Department of Commerce, which Wireless. It also is building a huge network covering farms in is being used to expand high-speed internet access in rural two states in India. Operating in about 200 countries, Nokia areas of Kansas. The BAG grant also was used to acquire closed 2020 with net revenue of about $24 billion. It averaged Vic Innovations, which provides internet, voice services and about 90,000 employees in 2020, with an annual R&D web hosting in the Kansas towns of Atwood, McDonald budget of about $4.5 billion and R&D facilities in Europe, and Bird City and in surrounding rural areas. Many rural North America and Asia. Kansas counties will continue to benefit from these grants. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nex-Tech launched OFS a Continuous Learning Initiative that works with schools to www.ofsoptics.com provide connectivity to unserved students learning at home. 888-342-3743 (inside the U.S.); Headquartered in Lenora, Kansas, Nex-Tech has delivered 770-798-5555 (outside the U.S.) service for more than 70 years. Key Products: Optical fiber, optical fiber cable, fusion splicers, fiber management and connectivity products, network design services

78 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Summary: OFS’s heritage, which can be traced to the March 2021, Furukawa Electric had $7.4 billion in revenue – original Bell Labs, includes research and development in fiber almost $1.5 billion was for fiber and associated products. The optics. Wholly owned by Furukawa Electric of Japan, OFS company had 50,000 employees worldwide as of March 2020. designs, manufactures and supplies optical fiber, fiber cable, specialty photonics and optical connectivity technology, providing solutions for outside- and inside-plant networks. In 2019, it doubled its fiber manufacturing capacity to meet strong demand from customers rolling out FTTH and 5G NETWORK PLANNING networks. The Furukawa Electric board approved $150 million in capital spending for further production expansion, AND DESIGN SOLUTIONS primarily in the U.S. and Europe through OFS. Products These companies provide software used to include EZ-Bend ultra-bend-insensitive (minimum 2.5 mm plan and design FTTH networks. bend radius) optical cables and InvisiLight solutions for nearly invisible in-MDU and in-home fiber deployments; the latest COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS 3-GIS www.3-gis.com version, introduced in 2020, uses 0.6 mm fiber strands. Biarri Networks www.biarrinetworks.com OFS introduced its first hollow-fiber cable for low-latency, Comsof www.comsof.com high-speed communications early in 2020. It also introduced COS Systems www.cossystems.com Rollable Ribbon cables, assemblies and new connectivity DZS www.dzsi.com solutions for MDU and SFU applications. Its 6912-strand high- ETI Software Solutions www.etisoftware.com density cable, introduced in August 2020, can be deployed in GEOGRAPH Technologies www.geograph.tech conduit only 1.25 inches in diameter – and even smaller in IQGeo www.iqgeo.com some data center applications. The OFS professional services Mapcom Systems www.mapcom.com group designs and builds FTTx networks for MDU and SFU Render Networks www.rendernetworks.com applications. Headquartered near Atlanta, OFS has facilities in VETRO FiberMap www.vetrofibermap.com North America, Europe and Africa. For the fiscal year ending

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JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 79 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “With extensive deployments underway, successful communications networks need forward-looking products and services that will enhance and contribute to the future-proofing of critical infrastructure networks.” – Dan Levac, national sales manager for communications markets, Preformed Line Products (PLP)

On Trac services and created more than 20,000 innovative designs www.ontracinc.com that include microtrenching in urban and rural environments 423-317-0009 and pioneering designs such as soft-scape (minimal depth and Key Products: FTTx consulting, design, installation and intrusion) and “no-terminal” designs. ONUG also developed fiber optic planning, small-cell splicing services predictive planning and cellular data mining and consulted Summary: Based in eastern Tennessee, On Trac has a on middle-mile projects, bringing fiber to unreached areas by nationwide footprint and has provided broadband fulfillment utilizing major interstates and highways for FTTx distribution services and partnered with FTTx deployments for local by ISPs. ONUG’s partnership with Biarri Networks supports municipal electric companies, electric cooperatives, private fiber optimal efficiency in the design of FTTx, reducing cost and deployments, fiber optic construction companies and private increasing speed of delivery. Daniel Huffman, ONUG owner businesses for the past 17 years. To date, the company services and president, has provided fiber optic training across the 1 million FTTx addresses in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, country for years through his partnership with Light Brigade. Kansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas. On Trac also created a Mobile Work Force Management Solution designed for OTELCO field operators. The software was developed over the past 10 www.otelco.com years to help companies manage field technicians who install 833-683-5261 and maintain FTTx. The company can also manage complex FTTx installations that require specialized processes, from Key Products: Internet, video and voice services underground construction to aerial and underground drops Summary: For more than a century, the OTELCO family of and completing premises and business installation and testing. companies has provided rural communities with cutting-edge As a Google Fiber installer, On Trac is always looking for top technology – first with the telephone in the late 1800s and talent. The company places a premium on its culture and core today with broadband internet for residential and business values and focuses on recruiting and hiring people from outside customers. The company’s footprint spans seven states – the telecom industry. Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont and West Virginia – in three distinctly different ONUG Communications rural regions of the U.S. In 2019, OTELCO invested $12.4 www.onugsolutions.com million to expand its fiber distribution network and improve 919-876-5455 its broadband capabilities. Last year, the company received funding from the Alabama Department of Economic and Key Products: Outside-plant engineering, planning and Community Affairs Broadband Accessibility Fund to build design; project management; feasibility studies; consulting fiber to the premises in Morgan City. services; quality assurance; construction OTELCO is in the process of upgrading its network Summary: ONUG Communications is approaching its 22nd in Gray and New Gloucester, Maine, which includes the year as a national engineering and design firm in Raleigh, construction of approximately 150 miles of FTTP network North Carolina. Over the years, ONUG has expanded its role in portions of both towns. The company also announced that with major clients such as Google Fiber, AT&T, CenturyLink gigabit service is now available to all Lightwave fiber–eligible and Verizon. Beyond working with these national providers, locations in Alabama. These network upgrades make gigabit ONUG works with various projects for regional telcos, service available to approximately 8,000 locations in northern rural ILECs, campuses, retirement communities, local/ Alabama. In addition, a DOCSIS 3.0 plant upgrade resulted state utilities, electrical co-ops and municipalities, such as in approximately 6,000 cable network locations in Oneonta Sherwood, Oregon. The services ONUG provides include and Altoona, Alabama, receiving access to faster speeds. This feasibility studies, designs, overall plans and help navigating year, Oak Hill Capital, a private equity firm, completed its federal and state FTTH grant processes. In 2019, ONUG acquisition of OTELCO for approximately $40.6 million. planned projects that passed 100,000 homes with FTTH OTELCO’s revenue for 2020 was $62 million.

80 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Pavlov Media and privately owned, Power & Tel recently moved into new, www.pavlovmedia.com 250,000-square-foot headquarters in Piperton, Tennessee, and 800-677-6812 has locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Brazil. Key Products: Internet, voice and IPTV video services for cities, MDUs, businesses and homes PPC Broadband Inc. – A Belden Brand Summary: Pavlov Media is a leading network provider that www.ppc-online.com designs, builds, operates and supports high-speed networks 315-431-7200; 800-800-6652 for MDUs, businesses, homes and cities. Founded in Key Products: Fiber cable, microduct, enclosures, cabinets, 1994, Pavlov Media is the nation’s largest private provider optical passives, optical splitters, fiber test equipment of broadband services to off-campus student housing Summary: PPC offers fiber products for the headend, outside communities and other multifamily apartments. It builds plant and premises. The company’s FTTH and broadband and runs networks for more than 750 MDU properties in solutions are used globally in cable systems, satellite networks 44 states and Canada. Pavlov Media works directly with and wireless businesses. PPC continues to expand its fiber communities on municipal fiber projects to build and manage product road map while holding more patents in connector gigabit cities. More than 325,000 residents use the Pavlov technology than any other company worldwide. In recent Media network, connected to the company’s 100 Gbps years, PPC has expanded its product portfolio through national fiber backbone, which includes a new 100 Gbps strategic acquisitions. In 2018, PPC’s fiber unit grew to link between Chicago and Indianapolis and a data center include optical passive products acquired through the in Orlando. In response to the pandemic, Pavlov Media purchase of Net-Tech Technology. In 2019, PPC acquired the upgraded school network connections to 10 Gbps to help FutureLink line of fiber products from Suttle; subsequently teachers, staff and students meet online demands. purchased OPTERNA, a global manufacturer of fiber Pavlov Media is a full-service network provider, and staff solutions; and bought SPC, a U.S.-based manufacturer of directly manage all aspects of its fiber optic connections to integrated fiber enclosures. PPC Broadband is a wholly owned homes, businesses and communities. Its new headquarters subsidiary of Belden and is headquartered in East Syracuse, in Champaign, Illinois, is home to engineers who design the New York, with locations in China, Denmark, Germany, networks and drill operators, field technicians and installers India, Ireland, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, St. Kitts, Tunisia, the who wire buildings. The network operations center and United Arab Emirates, the U.K. and the U.S. customer support are there as well. Pavlov Media has a strong history of business expansion through organic acquisitions and stable investments, including acquiring Simplified Technologies and Tallahassee-based Velocity Online in 2020 and Texas provider Clarus Broadband in 2021, all expanding PASSIVE COMPONENTS FOR its presence in the MDU, business and home fiber markets. FTTH NETWORKS (OUTSIDE PLANT AND INSIDE PLANT) Power & Tel www.ptsupply.com These companies provide fiber management solutions, 800-238-7514 enclosures, cabinets, connectors, ducts, conduits, powering solutions and related equipment for fiber access networks. Key Products: Fiber optic and cable products, optical networking electronics, test gear, IPTV, home networking COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS solutions AFL www.aflglobal.com Alpha Technologies www.alpha.com Summary: Power & Tel specializes in the procurement, sales Amphenol www.amphenol.com and logistics of communications products. By cost-effectively Clearfield www.Seeclearfield.com and efficiently managing the supply chain, Power & Tel CommScope www.commscope.com lets its customers – service providers, contractors and other Corning Optical Communications www.corning.com entities large enough to maintain communications networks – Dura-Line Corporation www.duraline.com focus on building and maintaining fiber networks. The ESPi www.espicorp.com company also provides materials-management services that Fiberdyne Labs www.fiberdyne.com use state-of-the-art distribution technology to accommodate Multilink www.gomultilink.com the industry’s rapidly changing supply needs. Recently, Power OFS www.ofsoptics.com & Tel and Geneva-based ADB, a provider of end-to-end PPC Broadband www.ppc-online.com TV solutions, signed a master distribution agreement for Preformed Line Products www.preformed.com the Americas. As a member of CommScope’s PartnerPRO Prysmian Group www.prysmiangroup.com Network, Power & Tel joined Graybar as the two companies Superior Essex www.superioressex.com in charge of order fulfillment for the Wyandotte (Michigan) TVC Communications/MaxCell www.maxcellinnerduct.com Municipal Services fiber conversion project. Founded in 1963

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 81 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “We expect that the growth of a remote workforce and its impact on bandwidth consumption will continue after the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumption also will be increased by the ongoing migration from traditional video to over-the-top services, the prevalence of new technologies, such as virtual and augmented realities, and cloud-based gaming.” – Olivier Bojarski, president, PPC Broadband

Preformed Line Products Cable with FlexRibbon technology. Ribbons are rolled up www.preformed.com and packed together in small-diameter sub-units but still 440-461-5200 provide the advantages of mass fusion splicing. This year, the Key Products: Fiber optic and copper splice closures, high- company released ezMicroduct, its smallest microduct cable with 288 fibers and an outer diameter of 8 mm. speed cross-connect devices, cable anchoring, control The vendor was selected by the Mexican-government hardware systems and asset inspections run Comisión Federal de Electricidad in 2020 to connect Summary: Preformed Line Products (PLP) is a worldwide remote regions with high-speed broadband. Prysmian also designer, manufacturer and supplier of high-quality products supplies 770 km of submarine telecom cables for the Norte and systems used to construct and maintain overhead Conectado project awarded by Rede Nacional de Ensino e and underground networks for the communication and Pesquisa, a Brazilian internet provider connecting the city of energy industries. Its communications segment is trusted Macapá to Santarém and Alenquer, which are in the north of to protect critical connections for telecommunications the Amazon region. Through this strategy, Prysmian directly network operators, government agencies and broadband enables connectivity across 59 municipalities in northern service providers, among others. PLP offers innovative Brazil, with the possibility to extend it to other Amazonian communications products and services, including the countries. It also continues to drive fiber innovations. In COYOTE line of fiber optic closures, FIBERLIGN hardware January, Prysmian joined Nokia Bell Labs and the National solutions and comprehensive, drone-based asset inspections. Institute of Information and Communications Technology to Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, PLP was founded in 1947 demonstrate 1 petabit per second transmission over an optical and has grown into a global corporation with offices and fiber with standard dimensions. Prysmian is headquartered in manufacturing facilities in more than 20 countries. Net sales Milan, Italy. for 2020 were $466 million. Quantum Fiber Prysmian Group www.q.com www.prysmiangroup.com 855-748-6123 859-572-8000; 800-713-5312 Key Products: Fiber internet, voice and TV services Key Products: Optical fiber and telecommunications cables Summary: Leveraging the fiber network and infrastructure Summary: With almost 140 years of experience, sales of from its parent company, Lumen Technologies, Quantum more than $13 billion and nearly 29,000 employees in more Fiber delivers symmetrical, subscription-based fiber internet than 50 countries and 112 plants, Prysmian Group offers solutions and services to residences and small businesses. a wide range of products, services, technologies and know- In September of 2020, CenturyLink rebranded under three how. Prysmian manufactures cables and accessories for voice, separate entities: Lumen Technologies, CenturyLink and video and data transmission, offering a range of optical Quantum Fiber. CenturyLink is the legacy telecom business fibers, optical and copper cables and connectivity systems. and Quantum Fiber is a fully digital service, marketing fiber In addition, it provides underground and submarine cables broadband services to customers in metro areas throughout and systems for power transmission and distribution, special the U.S., including Seattle, Portland, Denver, Salt Lake City, cables for applications in several industries and medium- and Omaha, Phoenix and Minneapolis. It recently expanded low-voltage cables for the construction and infrastructure its fiber network in several other cities, including Boulder, sectors. In 2019, Prysmian debuted its 6,912-fiber MassLink Colorado, where it is completing a fiber construction project

82 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 to bring homes and businesses 1 Gbps internet service. Summary: Render’s digital network construction platform In Springfield, Missouri, Quantum Fiber will be the anchor enables telecommunications and utility network operators tenant in a citywide broadband network called SpringNet. and construction teams to eliminate manual processes from It will build and own the final drops to connect homes construction and deploy the best possible fiber networks and businesses in that area and provide internet services to more efficiently than ever before. Using GIS and mobile and city residents. automation technologies, Render’s construction management Transforming from CenturyLink Fiber, the Quantum platform transforms geospatial network designs into Fiber Connected Communities division will work with deliverable work and digitizes real-time data flows between builders, developers and property owners ready to modernize the office and the field, delivering a new level of resource their properties with fiber and accommodate future greenfield efficiency and project visibility. builds. The company works with MDU and SFH communities The Render platform has delivered broadband connectivity throughout the nation that are close to the Lumen fiber to more than 300,000 U.S. households and businesses, with network. A key goal of the Quantum Fiber broadband more than 700,000 completed construction tasks. Significant expansion is to refresh its focus on the MDU segment and projects include the SpringNet FTTH network in Springfield, Instant Internet (formerly known as CenturyLink ON), its Missouri; open and dark fiber deployments in California; and rapid-service-provisioning platform. Following an assessment, FTTH networks in Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee Quantum Fiber delivers service to MDU properties via and Texas. Customers consistently experience up to 50 Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or a combination of both, including percent faster build times with a 30 percent reduction in field propertywide Wi-Fi. Grand Central at the Junction, a new supervision and administration costs. development in Wentzville, Missouri, is one MDU property Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Render technology taking advantage of Quantum Fiber’s broadband service. has enabled project administrators and construction teams Headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, Quantum Fiber’s parent across the country to navigate continuity risks and keep company, Lumen, has about 39,000 employees and posted projects moving. This year, the company partnered with COS operating revenue of $20.7 billion in 2020. Systems to optimize the end-to-end delivery of fiber and wireless networks. It also partnered with Calix to offer Calix customers premium access to the unique digital construction Render Networks platform. Render was founded in 2013. Its fast-growing www.rendernetworks.com team is headquartered in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and 833-293-9013 Melbourne, Australia. Key Product: Network design and construction solutions

NETWORK DEPLOYERS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS Adams Telephone Co-Operative www.adams.net GoNetspeed www.gonetspeed.com Allo Communications www.allocommunications.com Greenlight Networks www.greenlightnetworks.com/ Altice USA www.alticeusa.com GVTC www.gvtc.com AT&T Fiber / AT&T Connected Communities att.com/att/ Hotwire Communications www.hotwirecommunications.com multifamily-property/ Lumos Networks / NorthState www.lumosnetworks.com; C Spire Home Services www.cspire.com/home-services www.northstate.net Charter Communications / LUS Fiber www.lusfiber.com/ Spectrum Community Solutions www.charter.com; Nex-Tech www.nex-tech.com www.spectrum.com OTELCO www.otelco.com Cincinnati Bell www.cincinnatibell.com; Pavlov Media www.pavlovmedia.com www.cincinnatibell.com/Fioptics Quantum Fiber www.q.com Comcast Cable / Smithville Communications www.smithville.com XFINITY Communities www.xfinity.com/ Sonic www.sonic.com xfinitycommunitiesTDS Telecom www.tdstelecom.com Co-Mo Connect www.co-mo.net Ting www.ting.com/internet Consolidated Communications www.consolidated.com UTOPIA Fiber www.utopiafiber.com/ Cox Communications www.cox.com Verizon Communications / EPB Fiber Optics www.epb.com Verizon Enhanced Communities www.verizon.com; www.verizon.com/communities

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 83 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “Fiber optic connectivity is key to enable cutting-edge research, deliver critical data, and extend access and collaboration capabilities. Health care and higher education rely on high-caliber communications for networking and IoT devices to enhance telehealth access and transform campus learning for the future.” – Carmine Battafarano, president, HMI Services

Smithville Communications Inc. / Smithville based precision agriculture practices and allow new access to www.smithville.com education and health care resources for the communities in 812-876-2211; 800-742-4084 general. In January 2021, Smithville launched a partnership with the Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC joint Key Products: High-speed internet, streaming TV, voice, fiber construction project in Monroe County, Indiana. The cellular, home automation and security services, cloud first phase calls for passing 280 homes with fiber in a project services, IoT/big data support that will include 800 homes when completed by the end of Summary: Privately owned Smithville Communications, 2022. The project involves REMC customers’ receiving access Indiana’s largest independent telecom company, has 205 to Smithville’s FTTH service and will benefit all concerned. employees and has built out fiber to homes and businesses A similar project between Smithville and South Central for more than a decade. Key projects include Smithville’s Indiana REMC brought fiber to 3,400 residents in Monroe symmetrical gigabit project, which is nearing completion and Owen counties in April. in the city of Jasper. The company continues to expand its gigabit fiber operations in rural Ellettsville. Aided in part Sonic by Indiana’s rural Next Level Connections Broadband www.sonic.com Grant program, Smithville also is bringing high-speed fiber 888-766-4233 connectivity to north-central Indiana near Sharpsville and an area of rural Monroe County. The Monroe County Key Products: Gigabit internet access, voice service, co- project is part of a larger initiative with the South Central location, business networking Indiana Rural Electric Membership Cooperative (REMC) Summary: Based in the North Bay, Sonic is the largest launched to accelerate the delivery of fiber internet to about independent internet service provider in California and has 3,400 residents and businesses in the common service areas delivered internet and phone service to homes and businesses between the two companies. Allowing customers to use either for more than 25 years. Sonic was founded on the belief that provider, the project is expected to be completed by June access to fast, reliable, affordable internet should be available 2023. These expansions are self-funded or funded through to all. It’s committed to building out a wholly owned gigabit public-private partnerships. fiber network while supporting the communities it serves. Smithville continues to see residential growth through Its pricing is unusual – Sonic offers unlimited, uncapped, “best speed available” residential service offerings with no symmetrical gigabit fiber internet plus unlimited domestic data caps. Citing increasing content costs and changing TV- and international home phone service starting at $40 per user behaviors, Smithville replaced its multichannel linear month. In tandem with its ongoing FTTH expansions, Sonic TV packages with a streaming TV service and developed a enhanced its product set by partnering with eero to improve partnership with DISH TV and Sling to provide additional whole-home Wi-Fi access. options. The company also has been able to attract new telecom After conducting buildouts in San Francisco and the East management talent, bringing in seasoned executives with Bay, Sonic expanded its gigabit fiber service on the Monterey national broadband experience. Smithville continues to upgrade Peninsula. It also launched a big FTTH project in the North its legacy copper areas with fiber to the cabinet to enhance Bay, in Petaluma. The expansion enabled it to reach 19 new speeds and capacity in rural areas. To help students and others Bay Area cities and neighborhoods. This year, the Berkeley impacted by COVID-19, Smithville opened free community Unified School District, in collaboration with the Berkeley Wi-Fi hot spots in Paoli, French Lick and other locations. Public Schools Fund, announced a partnership with Sonic to In August 2020, Smithville launched a $2.7 million rural provide free, high-speed, fiber optic internet access to students gigabit network expansion in Tipton and Howard counties in for the remainder of the school year. PCMag.com named rural Indiana, which will help farmers implement technology- Sonic one of the fastest ISPs of 2020.

84 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Superior Essex focused on achieving social and environmental sustainability www.superioressex.com through technology. 770-657-6000 In February 2020, Superior Essex and Legrand North America reaffirmed their nCompass partnership with Key Products: Premises and outside-plant fiber and copper a revamped website. In February 2021, the company cable products; FTTH enclosures solidified its dedication to sustainability by presenting a Summary: Superior Essex designs, manufactures and pre-conference master class during the BICSI Winter 2021 supplies a large selection of premises and outside-plant fiber Conference. Titled “The World’s Focusing More Than Ever optic, copper wire and cable products. The company supplies on Sustainability – Here’s Why RCDDs Should as Well,” the products to many of the largest service providers, and its cable class covered how to spec and design intelligent buildings products are installed in thousands of enterprises around the to meet new, stricter requirements. In March, Superior world. It recently introduced a line of cables for distributed Essex became a corporate board member of the Continental antenna systems; introduced FTTH enclosures, including Automated Buildings Association, strengthening its industry fiber distribution hubs; and redesigned families of fiber dome affiliations to continue growth in the telecommunications closures. Superior Essex has a co-development and marketing sector. Superior Essex is headquartered in Atlanta and has alliance with Legrand North America, a global specialist more than 3,000 employees. Its product development center in electrical and digital building infrastructures, to create a is in Kennesaw, Georgia, and it has manufacturing facilities suite of structured cabling systems, nCompass. The company in Brownwood, Texas; Tarboro, North Carolina; and recently launched PowerWise Category 5e cable, a 22-gauge Hoisington, Kansas. communications data cable designed for internet-connected devices that utilize the Power over Ethernet (PoE) standard. Also new is EnduraLite indoor/outdoor loose-tube optical fiber cable. In early 2020, Superior Essex joined the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSl), an organization

Connecting Communities with Fiber

Lumos is proud to offer the very best in fiber technology. With lightning-fast, symmetrical fiber connections, people can work, learn and stream with ease. LumosNetworks.com

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JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 85 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “It has become fashionable of late to reference the rural electrification movement of the 1930s and 1940s as a template for closing the digital divide in rural America. Cooperatives were built on a covenant – an echo of the original American covenant of ‘We, the People.’ Covenants bind people together and lift them all up. To truly follow the rural electrification model will require a new covenant.” – Jonathan Chambers, partner, Conexon

TDS Telecom marked a major milestone for TDS when it reached 500,000 www.tdstelecom.com; www.tdsfiber.com broadband subscribers, half of which receive 1 Gbps speeds. 866-571-6662 Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, TDS Telecom Key Products: Internet access, phone and TV services employs nearly 2,900 people and is a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems Inc. Its operating revenue for 2020 was Summary: TDS Telecom delivers broadband internet and $976 million, up from $930 million in 2019. video and phone services to nearly 1,000 rural, suburban and metropolitan areas across the U.S. Powered by fiber and next- gen cable technology, TDS delivers up to 1 Gbps internet The Broadband Group / TBG Network Services speeds and offers IP-based TV along with traditional phone www.broadbandgroup.com services. The company offers FTTH in 78 communities 702-405-7000 and serves about 30 percent of its wireline service addresses Key Products: Telecommunications master planning, with fiber. Fiber investments continue with plans to light network design and engineering, financial modeling, up approximately 230,000 FTTH service addresses, of construction management which about 50,000 were turned up in 2019. After acquiring Merrimac Communications, TDS Telecom launched FTTH Summary: The Broadband Group (TBG), a technology services in 14 new Wisconsin markets, reaching more than and telecommunications consulting firm, develops business 40,000 service addresses. In March, TDS received $1.3 plans, network specifications, engineering designs, financial million from the Wisconsin Broadband Expansion Grant models and deployment strategies for utilities, master- Program, which will fund broadband projects in Mosinee planned communities, municipalities and service providers and Stetsonville. Outside Wisconsin, TDS Telecom has that seek to facilitate or deliver broadband services. TBG’s been actively building out FTTH in several states, including wholly owned subsidiary, TBG Network Services (TBGNS), Idaho, North Carolina, Utah and Washington. By acquiring oversees construction management. In Huntsville, Alabama, Continuum, a North Carolina–based provider, TDS gained TBGNS manages the Huntsville Utilities buildout of its 966- 36,500 new households passed by coax and fiber across mile, citywide, dark fiber network. Current TBG projects four towns. Following its FTTH build in Coeur d’Alene, include leading the fiber business plan development and Idaho, it launched plans to build a fiber network in the deployment strategies for Ontario, California; Long Beach, Meridian, Idaho, area to connect nearly 58,000 addresses. California; and the Brambleton community in Loudoun BendBroadband, a TDS cable subsidiary, began rolling out County, Virginia. Large-scale, master-planned communities 1 Gbps services in La Pine and Bend, Oregon. This summer, around the U.S. call on TBG to create technology master TDS will launch 1 Gbps speeds in its Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Nevada coax territories. plans that position wired and wireless connectivity as In 2021, TDS expanded its network in Elkhorn, differentiated amenities. TBG developed the utility lease Wisconsin, where more than 470 additional addresses can model: Municipalities with fiber networks lease excess fiber now receive up to 1 Gbps internet speeds, doubling its fiber to internet service providers, which in turn offer high-speed footprint in Elkhorn. When completed, the project will fiber broadband services citywide, handling marketing reach another 3,000 addresses. The company also launched and customer service. This model has been put to work a gigabit fiber network in Spokane, Washington, and will with CenturyLink for 100,000-plus homes in Springfield, continue expanding over the next several months. TDS also Missouri, and Google Fiber in Huntsville, Alabama. Based unveiled plans to expand its gigabit FTTH network to more in Las Vegas, with additional offices in Huntsville, Alabama, than 26,000 homes and businesses across Boise, Idaho. May TBG was founded in 1997.

86 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Ting network in Idaho, bringing service to Dover and Kootenai. www.ting.com/internet Another new market is Encinitas, California, where Ting will 855-846-4626 pass nearly 50,000 addresses in summer 2021, becoming the Key Products: Gigabit internet access, video service fourth Southern California Ting city along with Fullerton, Culver City and Solana Beach. In 2020, Ting brought on Summary: Ting, a subsidiary of Tucows – a domain Jill Szuchmacher as chief strategy officer and executive vice management service company – launched its FTTH business president of networks. Formerly vice president of operations at with a bang in December 2014 when it acquired Blue Ridge Google Fiber, Szuchmacher was tapped to lead construction InternetWorks, a competitive fiber provider in Charlottesville, builds while guiding the transition from coax to fiber. With Virginia. Ting expanded its network across Charlottesville 800 employees, Ting reported 2020 revenue of $311 million, and continues to expand to small markets in new areas, often down from $337 million in 2019. by partnering with municipalities. Ting currently provides fiber services to towns in California, Colorado, Idaho, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia – nine fiber internet towns in all. As it rolls out service in each community, Ting educates local realtors on how fiber-based connectivity can drive up home values. It also conducts community outreach to encourage collaboration with local businesses and parent- FTTH CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT teacher organizations. In April 2020, Ting began offering free These companies provide equipment for trenching, boring, fiber-fed Wi-Fi hot spots in its Ting internet towns to help microtrenching and other construction tasks. people without internet connect during the COVID-19 crisis. COMPANY NAME WEB ADDRESS In 2021, Ting continues to roll out services in new Ditch Witch www.ditchwitch.com communities, launching fiber internet in Rolesville, North Vermeer www.vermeer.com Carolina, for residents and businesses. It also expanded its

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JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 87 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST “We’ve never had a year that has both amazing opportunities to pay for the expansion of rural broadband coupled with challenges in the supply chain that will complicate attempts to build broadband quickly.” – Doug Dawson, president, CCG Consulting

TVC Communications / MaxCell increasing by 30 percent, fueled in part by pandemic-driven www.tvcinc.com; www.maxcellinnerduct.com remote work and distance learning. With new cities coming 888-644-6075 (TVC); 888-387-3828 (MaxCell) aboard, UTOPIA’s financial arm, UIA, raised more than Key Products: Broadband electronics, connectivity products, $100 million from investors keen to fund future-proof infrastructure. Making fiber available to more than 130,000 outside-plant hardware, test equipment, fabric innerduct, businesses and residences in more than 50 communities, conduit technology UTOPIA Fiber has cemented itself as the largest, most Summary: TVC Communications, a division of WESCO/ successful open-access network in the U.S. and enjoys the Anixter, is a value-added distributor that stocks and same-day industry’s highest customer satisfaction scores. ships FTTx products and facilitates planning, launching and Since last year’s Top 100 list, the team at UTOPIA deploying fiber networks in broadband and utility markets. Fiber fully built out three cities (Layton, Morgan and West TVC provides supply-chain solutions for operators, utilities Point, Utah), announced an agreement with Pleasant Grove and municipalities launching fiber networks, including City, Utah, to build FTTP, and continues its operational turnkey project development, materials management, partnership with Idaho Falls Fiber, now Idaho’s largest financial modeling, marketing for increased awareness/take open-access network. The agency also launched UTOPIA rate and project launch team and support. Innovation Labs, which develops smart-city applications, such The company’s brands include MaxCell, the flexible fabric as early wildfire detection systems, air pollution monitoring innerduct that allows increased cable density in a conduit and more. while preserving space for future bandwidth expansion. On the service provider side, Rise Broadband became MaxCell’s unique fabric construction conforms to the cables the 15th residential option on the UTOPIA network. Since placed within it, greatly reducing wasted space compared the agency’s 2009 turnaround, it has successfully designed, with rigid innerduct. Available in sizes to fit all conduits, built and operated nearly $300 million worth of fiber projects MaxCell adds pathways quickly and is installed easily throughout Utah, all of which have been funded completely and cost-effectively. MaxSpace is a no-dig conduit space through subscriber revenue at no cost to taxpayers. recovery solution designed to safely remove rigid innerduct from around active fiber cables with little to no load on the Vantage Point Solutions cable and no interruption of service. To expand capacity www.vantagepnt.com and preserve space for future bandwidth requirements, the 605-995-1777 company worked on a project in San Luis Obispo to remove existing innerduct using MaxSpace solution and replaced Key Products: Broadband engineering and consulting the existing innerduct with the space-saving flexible fabric services, including feasibility studies, network design, MaxCell innerduct. This was done while keeping the current engineering and deployment fiber active during the extraction. Last year, the company Summary: Based in Mitchell, South Dakota, employee- introduced MaxCell Premise for in-building and confined- owned Vantage Point Solutions (VPS) provides engineering, space applications where the cable pathway is overly dense and legal and consulting services to wireless and wireline space is at a premium. broadband providers. Vantage Point’s professional engineering capabilities, financial and technical expertise, and regulatory UTOPIA Fiber knowledge enable it to design advanced, economically viable www.utopiafiber.com solutions customized for each client. With more than 400 801-613-3880 employees – including 50 from its merger early in 2020 with GVNW Consulting – and hundreds of clients across Key Product: Open-access network services the country and internationally, VPS helps clients during Summary: Owned by 11 Utah cities, UTOPIA Fiber has nearly every step of broadband network development and been growing its network to keep pace with demand. Sign- operation, from concept to cutover and beyond. Services ups grew 50 percent this year, with residential bandwidth include feasibility studies; network design, engineering

88 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 and deployment; regulatory advice; financial and business Vermeer Corporation analysis; municipal code review and development; and www.vermeer.com network maintenance and security. VPS is often called upon 641-628-3141; 888-837-6337 to help clients shape grant applications. VPS also provides Key Products: Horizontal directional drilling equipment, analysis and recommendations for clients participating in the utility and pedestrian trenchers and plows FCC’s RDOF program. Since VPS was founded in 2002, its clients have been associated with $2.4 billion in spectrum, Summary: Headquartered in Pella, Iowa, privately owned loan and grant awards, including about $700 million in Vermeer manufactures underground installation equipment. the past year. Aside from its headquarters, VPS has offices The company got its start in fiber optic installation in 1991, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Charlotte, North Carolina; when it launched the Navigator horizontal directional drill Colorado Springs, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; San Antonio, (HDD) product line. Vermeer HDD products can install Texas; and Springfield, Illinois. communications lines underground without excavating or trenching, minimizing environmental disruption and helping reduce fiber deployment labor costs. The company offers a Verizon Communications / microtrenching system that allows installation of fiber lines Verizon Enhanced Communities in a roadway in one quick pass. Vermeer’s D23x30DR S3 www.verizon.com; www.verizon.com/communities Navigator HDD, introduced in 2019, weighs 8 tons but Key Products: Internet, video and digital voice services integrates dual-rod technology into a compact machine designed to maneuver through rock in congested cities, Summary: Headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, busy neighborhoods or tight jobsites. Recent introductions Verizon provides converged communications, information include the SPX25 remote-controlled vibratory plow, used and entertainment services in 150 countries. Verizon for installing small pipes and cables at depths up to 12 inches Consumer’s wireline services are provided in nine states in and for boring underneath driveways and sidewalks using an the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. and in Washington, optional attachment. D.C., over a fiber optic network through the Verizon Fios Vermeer also expanded its line of vacuum excavators, product portfolio and, where Fios is not available, over a including models for urban deployments. The RTX1250i2 traditional copper-based network. ride-on tractor, widely used for microtrenching, was updated In 2020, the Consumer segment’s revenues were $88.5 with easier tool changing, optional remote control and eco- billion, representing approximately 69 percent of Verizon’s friendly features. Vermeer continues to expand its plow and consolidated revenues. As of December 31, 2020, Consumer trencher product line, which includes the remote-control had approximately 7.1 million broadband connections, PTX40. The pivoting hand controls of the new PTX42 which includes Fios and digital subscriber line (DSL) walk-beside plow/trencher can be moved from one side of the internet connections, and approximately 4 million Fios video machine to the other, giving the operator greater flexibility connections. around potential obstacles or more-compact jobsites. Verizon Enhanced Communities works with property Electronic controls provide precise handling of machine owners, property managers and businesses to serve operations, and a center-articulated design that oscillates at multifamily residential, multi-tenant commercial, and the point of articulation delivers maneuverability – even in mixed-use communities with high-bandwidth internet, TV tight working conditions and on uneven terrain. The PTX42 and phone services. Verizon also made efforts to alleviate the can be outfitted with several different attachments. It has a impact some of its customers experienced due to the economic maximum depth of 24 inches and the trencher is 42 inches circumstances related to the coronavirus. New Fios customers deep, 6 inches wide. This unit also has an electronic who qualify for the low-income Lifeline discount program creep control to help optimize performance on longer received a $20 per month discount on their home internet distance installation. service for as long as they remain eligible for the program, bringing the cost to as low as $19.99 per month for 200/200 Mbps internet with no data caps. Verizon also participates in the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program. The telco made all current Fios Mix & Match plans eligible for participants in the EBB program. However, Verizon also offers customers on legacy Fios plans (no longer in market today) the ability to enroll in EBB. A Dow 30 company with $128.2 billion in 2020 revenues, down from $131.9 billion in 2019, Verizon employed 132,200 people worldwide at the end of 2020.

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 89 FIBER-TO-THE-HOME TOP 100 LIST

VETRO FiberMap speed, introduced in May 2021. VIAVI continues to enhance www.vetrofibermap.com its product line, introducing new or revised products several 207-221-6627 times a month. Key Products: Fiber mapping software and service Among the recent announcements are the Fusion JMEP 10 Smart SFP+, which enables monitoring of next-generation Summary: VETRO FiberMap provides a cloud-based, backhaul, broadband access and business services; a new fiber-management GIS platform purpose-built for broadband instrument programming tool (VIP Tool); and a new optical providers, municipalities and telco engineers that design and fiber meter for “right the first time” installs and automation build next-generation internet infrastructure. Launched in to identify and certify DWDM or hybrid CWDM/DWDM 2016, VETRO FiberMap serves clients across the U.S. and in networks. For fiscal year 2020, which ended June 30, 2020, 17 countries. Delivered through a web browser, the platform VIAVI reported net revenue of more than $1.1 billion and is engineered for rapid integration, driven by OpenAPIs and employed 3,600 employees, of whom about 1,000 were in managed in the cloud. It enables users to access network R&D. Its quarterly results since then have shown gains. data from anywhere and design, deploy and document VIAVI is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. networks – all from a single platform. Portland (Maine)– based Pioneer Broadband completed several rural FTTH network build projects using the VETRO FiberMap platform Walker and Associates as a core technology. www.walkerfirst.com 800-925-5371 Also in Maine, Pioneer completed FTTH projects in Houlton and Sherman as well as network design for Key Products: Products and services for deploying Downeast Broadband Utility, which covers Calais, Baileyville communications networks; kitting and integration; and Alexander. Other providers, such as OTELCO, use the product selection consulting platform to help potential business customers determine Summary: Walker and Associates is a national distributor whether fiber-based internet service is available in their areas. of networking products for broadband providers, including In 2019, the company launched its Geospatial Wrecking wireline, wireless and CATV, and for government and Crew, an in-house concierge GIS services group handling enterprise network operators. The company sources products mapping-data conversion jobs for network design engineers from more than 300 suppliers, facilitating carriers’ delivery and fiber-management platform users. Earlier this year, of high-speed internet, video, data and voice services to ConnectMaine Authority selected VETRO’s Broadband residential, business and mobile users. Walker supports Intelligence Platform to serve as the platform of record and technology solutions such as switching, routing, Wi-Fi, central hub for all planning, mapping and infrastructure microwave, network functions virtualization (NFV), data relevant to broadband mapping in the state. VETRO Carrier Ethernet, VoIP, wavelength division multiplexing, FiberMap is a privately owned firm based in Portland, Maine. reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexing, packet optical networking, software-defined networking, GPON, active VIAVI Solutions Ethernet, fixed wireless and DSL. www.viavisolutions.com Walker’s certified product engineering, kitting, testing, 408-404-3600 installation, systems integration and managed services simplify network deployment. Products include fiber and Key Products: Field and lab broadband test equipment, copper connectivity, power systems, indoor and outdoor network monitoring systems, network performance enclosures and outside-plant products. Walker also offers monitoring, diagnostic solutions marketing, sales and logistical and technical support Summary: VIAVI Solutions has served the industry for services for manufacturers, reaching 10 telecommunications nearly 100 years. The company provides construction and submarkets and more than 1,200 domestic customers. installation, testing, assurance, monitoring and optimization To keep pace with the markets it serves, Walker invested solutions for broadband communications service providers, in additional technical resources and tripled its NFV lab cable operators, mobile-service providers, network equipment capacity. To meet customer requirements for bulk fiber, the manufacturers, hyperscale ecosystems, contractors, company enlarged its fiber cable supply yard and increased its governments, data centers and enterprises. It offers test and capacity for custom-cut cable. measurement solutions for all gigabit internet technologies, Last fall, the U.S. Army awarded Walker and Associates including GPON, DOCSIS, G.fast, Wi-Fi and 5G. a spot on its $13 billion enterprise IT software contract for VIAVI claims numerous firsts, such as the telecom commercial, off-the-shelf software. Walker has been expanding industry’s first 400 Gbps test platform, the industry’s first its partnerships over the last year. In March 2021, the company PON power meter solution for NG-PON2 deployments, joined Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise as a national reseller partner, the first complete open-radio access network (O-RAN) test enabling it to deliver wired and wireless networking and cloud suite for 5G and the first fully integrated test product for solutions for utilities, transportation and federal customers. In pluggable 800G transceivers that use 100G electrical lane April, Walker and Associates joined the Nokia Global Partner

90 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 program, allowing Walker to market and distribute the Nokia In 2021, Zeal launched a web-managed multi-gigabit line of industrial-grade Private Wireless solutions alongside the switch for homes and offices. The company also formed Wavence microwave packet radio portfolio. The solutions help a partnership with Wyrestorm, which has added Zyxel’s utilities future-proof for new market demands and evolving portfolio of networked AV-enabled switches to their business models. Based in Welcome, North Carolina, with 155 NetworkHD Series of AV over IP solutions. Zyxel has employees, Walker is ISO 9001/2015 quality certified and is a also been working with Affinegy, a vendor of hardware- certified women-owned corporation. independent, standards-based device management software recently acquired by NISC, to provide an automated, turnkey Zyxel Communications reporting service that broadband operators can use to satisfy www.zyxel.com Connect America Fund reporting requirements. In January, 714-632-0882; 800-255-4101 Zyxel launched its portfolio of 10G PON ONT solutions. This new product line includes three new products: a Wi-Fi 6 Key Products: Gigabit home gateways and other customer- XGS-PON VoIP gateway ONT, an XGS-PON VoIP bridge premises equipment, mesh Wi-Fi systems, Ethernet ONT with 10G LAN, and the XGS-PON SFP+ ONT. Zyxel switches, security is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, with U.S. headquarters Summary: Zyxel provides a portfolio of multiservice LTE, in Anaheim, California. v fiber and DSL broadband gateways; home connectivity solutions; smart-home devices; enterprise-class Ethernet switches and security and Wi-Fi equipment for small to midsize businesses. Recent Zyxel solutions for FTTH and FTTN include an advanced security gateway for service To nominate a company for next year’s message blocks, a high-performance gateway for ISPs, an enhanced Nebula cloud management solution, and the CBRS FTTH Top 100, email [email protected]. and multiband outdoor routers for fixed wireless access.

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JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 91 TECHNOLOGY

Transforming Aggregation Network Architecture with XR Optics

XR optics will offer fiber-to-the-home providers improved coherent-level capacity, reach and management performance with flexible deployment over point-to-point or point- to-multipoint and single- or dual-fiber architectures.

By Fady Masoud / Infinera

he world is on the verge of the wide- signal processing to subdivide the transmission scale deployment and commercialization and reception of a given wavelength spectrum Tof 5G. This new fifth-generation wireless into a series of low-frequency channels called standard is expected to be 100 times faster digital subcarriers. They can be independently than the existing 4G network, demanding a modulated, managed and assigned to different tenfold increase in access network capacity destinations, enabling the industry’s first in addition to five to 10 times the number of scalable point-to-multipoint, direct low-speed endpoints. A network operator’s challenge of to high-speed optical transceiver connectivity. traffic aggregation is far from becoming history Any XR optics transceiver operating at N x 25 – it will be exacerbated by this unprecedented Gbps (where N = 1 to 16) can communicate demand for capacity, unless a new, disruptive, directly with any higher-speed transceiver that is 5G-era–ready technology is used. operating in M x 25 Gbps increments (where M This challenge has existed since the inception = 1 to 16) as depicted in Figure 2. of optical networking because of a significant XR optics is a superset coherent optical misalignment between actual traffic patterns and module that works in point-to-point or point- the technology that transports traffic. Network to-multipoint applications over single- or traffic patterns, particularly in metro networks, dual-fiber architectures. Additional unique are overwhelmingly hub and spoke (numerous characteristics include remote management endpoints generate traffic aggregated by a small capabilities and full topology awareness. number of hub locations). XR optics technology comes at a particularly In contrast, optical connectivity solutions good time for network operators struggling to are implemented using strictly point-to-point cost-effectively manage the impending tidal technology as depicted in Figure 1. The result is wave of traffic coming from applications such an extremely inefficient transport architecture as 5G, fiber deep, and cloud-based business that requires large numbers of bookended services – and their impact will be significant. transceivers and numerous intermediate aggregation devices to “up-speed” traffic flows. FLEXIBLE CAPACITY UPGRADES But this is about to change thanks to XR optics. Infinera recently announced that American The innovative technology is expected to Tower completed a live network demonstration transform how optical networks are designed, of XR optics. The trial specifically highlighted operated and evolved. XR optics utilizes digital its ability to transmit coherent capacity levels

92 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 over an existing PON infrastructure, A recent trial highlighted the ability of XR preparing the network for 5G expansion and beyond. optics to transmit coherent capacity levels over The trial also highlighted one of the key capabilities of XR optics – its an existing PON infrastructure, preparing the flexible deployment options, including network for 5G expansion and beyond. deployment over a fiber pair or a single fiber, also known as single fiber working. Passive optical networks (PON) and often wireless towers are connected over a single fiber. In these same infrastructure, allowing network gigabit PON (GPON) or even XGS- cases, data can be sent simultaneously; operators to maintain the current PON infrastructure. one single-mode fiber can transmit and operational model while enabling receive traffic flows in both directions a whole new level of scalability and SINGLE-FIBER OPERATION from each endpoint. flexibility in the network. When deploying over a fiber pair, an The trial underscored XR optics’ One of XR optics’ key attributes XR optics coherent pluggable at the ability to be inserted into existing is its dynamic capacity assignment: hub site generates 400 Gbps of capacity single-fiber networks, such as PONs capacity at remote sites (e.g., cell consisting of 16 x 25 Gbps digital used for wireless backhaul, by towers) can be increased easily in subcarriers. A passive splitter sends leveraging current building blocks such 25G increments without truck rolls the digital subcarriers to each remote as PON filters and splitters. Existing by simply assigning additional digital site or leaf. Through the management PON traffic and new traffic carried subcarriers. Figure 3 depicts a typical system, each coherent pluggable at the over XR optics can coexist on the deployment of XR optics over existing remote site (e.g., cell tower) tunes into

Figure 1: Point-to-point optics vs. hub-and-spoke traffic

Figure 2: XR optics point-to-multipoint connectivity

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 93 TECHNOLOGY

Figure 3: Typical deployment of XR optics over an existing PON infrastructure

the one or multiple subcarriers it has frequencies to use the same single more digital subcarriers are used in been assigned – for example, digital fiber, resulting in bidirectional traffic. one direction to meet the demand subcarriers 5, 6, 7 and 8. Typically, an optical circulator provides of specific traffic profiles, such as Once locked into the assigned approximately 10 percent better video broadcasting. Both fiber pairs digital subcarriers, the XR optics performance than a Y-cable. and single fibers can be connected coherent pluggable at the remote site The XR optics coherent pluggable simultaneously to a single XR optics sends back to the hub, on the second at the hub site frees up the specific part coherent pluggable at the hub. fiber, digital subcarriers that match the of the spectrum by not transmitting The benefits of overlaying XR optics same lineup as the received subcarriers, the digital subcarriers dedicated on an existing PON infrastructure: 5, 6, 7 and 8 in the example illustrated to traffic received from the remote • Significantly more capacity in Figure 4. site, or upstream traffic. As a result, and enhanced scalability: If only one fiber is used for both downstream and upstream digital Whether it’s the current generation transmitting and receiving (single subcarriers can flow in both directions of PON, such as XGS-PON with fiber working), a Y-cable or an optical on the same single fiber, as depicted in 10G of total capacity or the next circulator can be used at each end of Figure 5. generation, such as NG-PON2 the single-fiber link, enabling upstream Traffic can be symmetrical – the with 40G of total capacity, PON (remote sites to hub) and downstream same number of digital subcarriers is solutions have limited total capacity (hub to remote sites) optical signals used for downstream and upstream and reach. Total capacity is defined being transmitted over different traffic flows, or asymmetrical – by the bundling of 10 Gbps

Figure 4: XR optics over a fiber pair

94 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 wavelengths, and reach is limited Overlaying XR optics on existing PON by non-return-to-zero (NRZ) modulation performance. infrastructure has multiple benefits, including XR optics brings coherent-level performance to PON networks, more capacity, enhanced scalability, a smooth providing significantly more evolution path, increased ROI and more. capacity – 40x compared to XGS- PON and 10x compared to NG- PON2 – with a total of 400 Gbps that can be assigned to different endpoints in 25G increments. as filters, amplifiers and splitters, enables far better reach – hundreds Remote site capacity can be allowing a maximized return on of kilometers. This enables increased easily and remotely, investment. Traffic carried over an network operators to tap into new without site visits. This enhanced existing PON can coexist with traffic addressable markets beyond their scalability is key for 5G carried over XR optics, enabling current geographical presence. deployments because it is difficult network operators to smoothly shift XR optics brings coherent-level the current traffic to XR at their own to forecast true traffic growth. Hub capacity, reach and management pace and based on their own business capacity is no longer burdened by performance to existing networks with and operational requirements. the bundling of numerous 10 Gbps flexible deployment over point-to-point wavelengths. XR optics’ scalability XR optics also provides a or point-to-multipoint and single- or from 25 Gbps to 400 Gbps enables disaggregated growth model in dual-fiber architectures. PON network network operators to cope with which the hub side can be upgraded operators now have a cost-effective, unpredictable traffic demand from 400G to 800G+ in the future, flexible and highly scalable solution to without network disruption or with no changes to the leaf optics on cope with the relentless demand for significant spend in capex. the other side of the network. It is bandwidth. v • Smooth evolution path: XR the industry’s first multigenerational optics’ ability to coexist with optics between high-speed and low- existing PON networks allows speed transceivers. Fady Masoud is a director of solutions network operators to smoothly scale • Expanded coverage: The ability marketing at Infinera. their networks by migrating traffic to reach remote sites using PON is to XR optics based on their own dictated by the maximum distance business and operational needs. between the splitter and the • Increased ROI: Adding XR optics optical network terminal, which to an existing PON infrastructure is around 25 km. XR optics uses a leverages existing equipment such 16QAM modulation scheme that

Figure 5: XR optics over single fiber

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 95 THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

How Telecom Infrastructure Players Will Help Bridge the Digital Divide

Connecting more parts of the world with affordable broadband will require collaboration between governments, businesses, service providers, telecom infrastructure companies and other players.

By Stephen Szymanski / STL

implicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding broadband penetration, and 20th in the world for fixed the meaningful. Few people foresaw the huge impact broadband subscriptions per capita. SCOVID-19 would have on health or the global The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, economy, let alone networks. The pandemic also had a recently approved in the Senate, is a $250 billion bill that magnifying effect on inequality, especially the digital divide. aims to boost U.S. chipmaking and ensure technological It’s clear that in 2021 and beyond, the importance of internet is competitiveness. More than 42 million Americans do not paramount for work, education and staying connected. have internet access, and for millions more, it is available but According to the Boston Consulting Group, broadband unaffordable. connectivity helped save jobs and enabled online retailers and The U.S. faces the complex choices to rebuild grocery chains to grow their online presence. infrastructures that the pandemic exposed. Digital subscriber “Twenty years ago, the world’s connectivity levels would line (DSL) technology is quickly becoming obsolete because have been able to help, at most, 0.2 percent of the labor force even with various flavors of DSL, VDSL2+, etc., the to work remotely compared to the 10 percent of people in the technology has limitations. In many cases, fiber will provide the necessary backbone to support hyperscale growth and global workforce who have been able to work from home in future-proof networks. 2020. Today’s connectivity levels saved from 150 million to What’s clear is that data consumption is growing 300 million jobs, safeguarding $8 trillion in global GDP,” relentlessly, whether it is at home, in the office or on the move. the research firm said in a report. “In the U.S., current Disruptive events, such as the pandemic, result in significant connectivity levels have enabled online retailing to grow by traffic bursts overnight with a changing mix of type of data 15 percent to 30 percent, food deliveries to rise by 90 percent, flows. With economic activity depending more than ever on and online grocery shopping to skyrocket by 140 percent digital infrastructure, investments in this “fourth utility” during the crisis – none of which would have been possible will accelerate. The high costs of building infrastructure that in 2000. Those sectors alone have contributed $4 trillion to supports both mobile and fixed-network functionality will global GDP so far, in addition to providing an indirect boost drive operators to optimize investments to make the case work. to adjacent businesses.” BUILDING SMARTER DIGITAL NETWORKS CONNECTING THE UNCONNECTED Networks need to become smarter, more competent and more The U.S. needs to catch up with the rest of the world available for all. With data consumption reaching unseen when it comes to connecting its citizens, especially rural levels, it’s important to build new networks or modernize Americans. According to a recent report from United existing ones. Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organizations New networks must be nimble, software-driven and (UNESCO), the U.S. ranks 24th in terms of household have centralized controls. These vendor-agnostic networks

96 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 will have virtual network functions, residential buildings with reliable speed assets. Building a sophisticated optimal edge computing and memory powering and simple deployment. network that meets the most granular all applications. Fiber deployments require safe of requirements is a huge, daunting task A main concern is what it will excess cable storage, minimal bend loss service providers face. take to make these new-age networks and seamless coupling and connection available to everyone in a faster, more A CALL FOR UBIQUITOUS DATA via optical passive equipment. In CONNECTIVITY affordable way. A key factor is dense addition, 5G with higher frequencies and quick fiberization. Data connectivity is both enabler and penetrates poorly into buildings, and catalyst. Governments, businesses, real implementations could require FIBERIZATION KEY TO service providers, telecom infrastructure SMARTER NETWORKS additional small cells close to human companies and other players will need hot spots, mounted on facades and Today’s optical fibers are works of to work together to connect the next engineering mastery. They are ever- integrated into public infrastructure billion users in a scalable, cost-effective evolving to meet market needs. such as lamps, posts or street furniture. way while weighing new technology Seemingly simple innovations, such Infrastructure investment in wired or advancements to build a future-proof wireless requires careful network design network available to and affordable as bend insensitivity, can have a huge v impact on the lifetime of a network, and consideration. It also requires deep for all. adding 10 to 12 years. customer understanding and data-driven 5G and FTTx will require similar insights at the core of network design. Stephen amounts of fiber in the distribution The goal is to deliver on scale, Szymanski is the network for a full rollout. Delivering latency and agility requirements general manager scale and fast home-pass readiness that factor in the reality of customer for Americas is not easy. Challenges include the demand and provider infrastructure – at STL. requirement for skilled workers to whether greenfield or brownfield – reach high-rises and stand-alone and prevent over- or underbuilding of

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 97 THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Addressing Military Veterans’ Economic, Broadband Needs

State and local governments can leverage $350 billion in federal funding to provide immediate relief and long-term support for U.S. veterans and military spouses.

By Trace Chesser / USA Cares and Tom Ferree / Connected Nation

he Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal need: providing immediate relief and long-term Recovery Funds recently allocated $350 support for veterans and military spouses. Tbillion across states, territories and tribal The $350 billion was set aside as part of the governments to use for COVID-19–related 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. According economic recovery activities. U.S. leaders have to a U.S. Treasury Department fact sheet, an unprecedented opportunity to help veterans this money can be used to respond to the and military spouses in their states, counties and “COVID-19 emergency and bring back jobs.” cities, but they must act now. Even before the pandemic, USA Cares Before delving into exactly how these funds worked daily with veterans struggling with can be used, it is important to understand just financial needs and other challenges that made how much is available in each area, allowing adapting to life outside the military difficult. it to be compounded to create truly impactful These services focus on improving the quality of life for veterans and reducing the investment. potential factors that can contribute to veteran For instance, Anniston, Alabama, was suicide. Many of the needs USA Cares helps awarded $13,291,868. The town of about veterans meet are urgent and immediate, such 21,000 is in Calhoun County, which received as rent or utility assistance. another $22,066,439. On top of that, the state At the same time, Connected Nation, of Alabama was awarded $2,120,279,417 (that’s dedicated to helping local communities, states, billions). More funding is available to 20 other and federal agencies create and implement cities and nearly 70 additional counties in solutions to their broadband and digital Alabama. technology gaps, is setting up veterans and That’s a lot of money that can be leveraged military spouses for long-term success through at all levels in just one state. It is the same story its Digital Works program. It provides digital in Indiana, Tennessee, Wyoming and every state career training and job placement assistance in the U.S. If the country’s leaders are strategic with an employer network of more than 70 in working together, they can use those funds to national companies. create lasting and positive impact. Many veterans are uniquely suited for remote work: they are self-disciplined and detail-oriented IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM SUPPORT because of their military training. At the same Two nonprofit organizations, USA Cares and time, military spouses have traditionally had Connected Nation, are asking leaders to consider some of the highest unemployment numbers in using a portion of these funds for a critical the country. Employers are reticent to hire them

98 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 because their spouses may be deployed COVID-19 relief money can fund digital career to new locations without much warning and, if they work, there is often a lag training so veterans and military spouses are time between moving and finding a new job. Remote work can help solve skilled for remote work. those long-term issues for veterans and military spouses, and it is also pandemic-proof.

A TWOFOLD APPROACH and families.” This includes those spouses by working together with The important takeaway for the nation’s urgent and immediate needs previously organizations such as USA Cares. leaders is that helping veterans and mentioned, such as food, housing and Let’s not let this opportunity to military families requires a twofold other financial insecurities. USA Cares create long-term, positive impact in the approach. It’s important to first address can help provide a pipeline to veterans lives of those who have served and the their immediate and urgent needs, then facing the greatest challenges. families who support them pass by. We set them up for long-term success. The Treasury Department also implore U.S. leaders to act now! Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal highlights the need for “addressing Find more details, including Recovery Funds provide enough the negative economic impacts caused how to apply for the funds, here: money to address both needs and still by the public health emergency.” https://connectednation.org/current- tackle other issues, such as expanding We believe this should include a broadband-funding. v broadband access to more people, workforce development effort – such another priority of Connected Nation. as Digital Works – that focuses career According to the Treasury readiness on remote work skills and Trace Chesser is the president and CEO of Department, the funds can be used for opportunities. This should include USA Cares and Tom Ferree is the CEO “serving the hardest-hit communities an emphasis on veterans and military and chairman of Connected Nation.

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JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 99 THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Overeagerness Does Not Help Close the Digital Divide

Resolving broadband affordability and coverage issues for low-income families requires accurate, reliable data.

By Roger Entner / Recon Analytics

here is broad agreement in the U.S. quality of broadband services cable.co.uk that increasing broadband coverage and compares are quite different. In its most recent T making broadband more affordable study, cable.co.uk reports that the plans it for low-income Americans is important. To sampled from the U.S. had an average price of make this point, using less-than-reliable data is $59.99, with a minimum price of $29.99 and a unnecessary and counterproductive. maximum of $299.95. In a recent paper, “How Expensive are U.S. The magnitude of this variation suggests that Broadband and Wireless Services?” Thomas the sampled plans varied widely in quality (i.e., Philippon concludes that American consumers offered speeds), and it is especially suspicious that pay more for broadband and wireless services cable.co.uk’s computed average price is $59.99. than consumers in other industrialized nations. That this archetypical retail price is an average of Unfortunately, these conclusions appear to 26 observations seems improbable. be based on dated, incorrect, omitted or The company’s current report on prices also misinterpreted data. The findings are a disservice suggests that readers should examine its study to the goal of closing the digital divide that exists of worldwide broadband speeds. The company both in coverage and affordability. finds U.S. average speeds to be nearly twice as fast as U.K. speeds (71.20 Mbps vs. 37.82 COMPARING WIRED BROADBAND Mbps). Furthermore, the only listed European PRICES countries or dependencies that exceed the U.S. Rather than relying on unbiased sources to in speed are: compare U.S. and European prices, the paper uses data collected by cable.co.uk, an advertising • Liechtenstein (population 38,747) website in the U.K. that tries to convince • Jersey (a British crown dependency, U.K. customers to buy U.K. broadband population 107,800) services. What expertise this company has • Andorra (population 77,142) in determining U.S. broadband prices (or • Gibraltar (a British Overseas Territory, interest in showing them to be economical) and population 33,701) conducting proper apples-to-apples international • Luxembourg (population 590,667) price comparisons is not clear. • Iceland (population 356,991) No data in cable.co.uk’s currently provided • Switzerland (population 8.5 million) spreadsheet allow a reviewer to ascertain that • Monaco (population 38,964) plans of similar quality were sampled in each • Hungary (population 9.7 million) country. Indeed, it is highly likely that the • Netherlands (population 17.2 million)

100 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 • Malta (population 460,297) • Denmark (population 5.7 million people) • Aland Islands (Swedish-speaking, semi-autonomous region of Finland, population 27,929) • Sweden (population 10 million) • Slovakia (population 5.4 million) It’s evident that someone tried hard to increase the count of geographies that have faster speeds than the U.S. by including parts of countries, dependencies, and dutchies into the mix. Nearly all of these are small countries or semi-autonomous regions with populations smaller than a typical U.S. city or state. It is notable that no European country with a population larger than that of the Netherlands Data provided by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) makes the list of countries with faster average services than the U.S. Given that U.S. broadband speeds data and official statistics collected for In any event, in 2018, 84 percent of significantly exceed those in Europe, the U.S. by the FCC and for Europe U.S. households had fixed broadband and the U.S. generally has much lower by the European Commission (EC), subscriptions – and the U.S. advantage population densities, higher wages, and is to reference a 247-slide presentation over Europe widens when only 30-plus significantly higher per-home network posted on the internet (https://bit. Mbps speeds and 100-plus Mbps speeds deployment costs, it is unremarkable ly/3xoPnLs). It claims that in 2019, 87 that U.S. prices might exceed European are considered. percent of people in the U.S. used the prices because it costs substantially internet, and in Western Europe and FIXED BROADBAND SPEEDS more to deploy these networks. The next topic the paper specifically The scatterplot of cable.co.uk’s Northern Europe, the figures were 92 addresses is fixed broadband connection collected prices appears to be consistent percent and 95 percent, respectively. speeds. For this, the paper refers to slide with 2017 prices reported by the This response has at least two 52. This slide, the author says, “shows Organization for Economic Co- problems. First, even if these data the U.S. is close to the EU median, and operation and Development (OECD). are valid, they focus on geographic slightly below France, in terms of speed.” But four-year-old prices don’t seem subsections. Why not compare these The first statement appears to be false; terribly apposite to debates about the most-developed areas of Europe against the second is immaterial. Let’s unpack. current price and performance quality U.S. figures strictly for the Northeast or of broadband in the U.S. the Pacific coast? The European countries listed According to USTelecom, a national Aside from needing to slice and dice in order of descending speed on trade association that promotes European data to adduce a favorable the slide are Romania, Switzerland, broadband, broadband prices in the comparison, the biggest problem is France, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, U.S. dropped significantly over the past that even if Europeans use the internet, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, six years, and service quality increased EC DESI data on connectivity show Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the dramatically. that many are not using it via a fixed U.K., Italy and Austria. The U.S. slots After noting that “some of the data broadband connection. The EC found between Sweden and Spain. Even if the measures presented [in the paper about that only 78 percent of European paper meant these comparisons to be pricing] are a few years old,” Philippon households subscribed to fixed against European countries rather than turns his concern to critiquing broadband in 2019. EU countries, as the paper states, the USTelecom’s assertion that deployment It is more than likely that the slide median European country is Portugal – of advanced networks is further along presentation on usage the paper cites which lies four positions below the U.S. in the U.S. and subscription to high- included people who use the internet via If only EU countries are considered, speed U.S. networks exceeds European mobile wireless broadband connections, the median position drops another half subscription to similar networks. satellite connections and dial-up internet slot to a position between Portugal and The paper’s response to these connections, in addition to fixed-line Poland. Though the paper may consider findings, which derive directly from broadband connections. the U.S. position in these lists to be

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 101 THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

“close” to the median, Philippon could channels and other cable television inadequate to discern broadband- have noted that the only major EU networks greatly exceed those paid in specific investments. country ahead of the U.S. was France, Europe. Indeed, in many European In any event, discussion of with a miniscule (and likely statistically countries, customers pay separately the above is probably intended to meaningless) speed advantage of 500 for local broadcast channels via divert attention away from the best Kbps (131.3 Mbps for France versus television license fees that are not available investment comparator 130.8 Mbps for the U.S.). included in their triple-play bills. for telecommunications – the In other words, rather than U.S. bundles also commonly data collected by the OECD showing the U.S. to be a laggard in allow subscribers to watch several from national statistical agencies fixed broadband speeds, the paper’s programs on multiple television or regulators. analysis appears to show it significantly sets simultaneously – in contrast All that the paper appears to say in the lead. to European bundles that may be in response to OECD data is to note restricted to a single TV set stream. that since 2015, “investment by the LIGHTNING ROUND • Labor cost adjustment: main Telecom operators in Europe has The paper goes on to address four The paper argues that because grown rather quickly.” So it has, but main broadband themes: average “wages are about 20 percent so has investment grown in the U.S. – revenue per user (ARPU), comparable higher in America than in the and U.S. per capita investment levels contract pricing, labor costs and profits main EU countries” and because remain at nearly twice those in Europe. and investment. “compensation of employees CODA • ARPU: The paper claims to look accounts for half of the value added It’s odd that the paper resorts to at broadband ARPU for Altice in private industries, one might such a strange mix of old, wrong, and Comcast in the U.S. and expect [the U.S.] price to be [only] or misinterpreted data to support 10 percent higher” than in Europe. pronounces it significantly above Philippon’s claim that U.S. broadband This analysis is not compelling. that in France. The validity of the is too expensive, and that this can be data is highly questionable, though. Even if these national-level statistics the result only of a lack of competition. For example, Philippon claims are specifically applicable to the U.S. But ignoring the fact that broadband (without citation) that Altice’s broadband industry, there is no need networks are more widely deployed in ARPU is $90 per month. Reference for wage differences to account for the U.S. than in Europe, offer higher to Altice’s SEC 10-K report (on the entire amount of any putative speeds, carry more data and have more p. 3) indicates that its residential elevation in U.S. broadband prices subscribers is the only way the paper broadband ARPU is $70.52, a figure over European ones. That is, they are can conclude that the European model substantially less than Philippon’s only a contributor. The fact that the is superior. unreferenced figure of $90. Further, U.S. is much less densely populated That may be the paper’s Altice is a cable company with than Europe and U.S. networks conclusion, but it is not the European a substantial fiber-to-the-home provide much higher speeds and Commission’s, which has studied these footprint. It reports that the average carry much more data per household issues directly. The EC’s International speed its customers purchased than European networks are also Digital Economy and Society Index exceeds 300 Mbps – more than likely contributors. finds the U.S. scores higher than all but twice the average speed French • Profits and investment:This the top EU country (Denmark) and ties customers experienced. section of the paper contains a with the next two highest EU countries • Prices of comparable contracts: mishmash of data that purport (Finland and Malta). All other EU The paper suggests that prices that U.S. capital investment is not countries score lower. for triple-play services in the impressive. But the data presented The truth is that U.S. fixed U.S. significantly exceed those in for “Comcast, AT&T and other broadband leads – not lags – Europe’s European countries. This statistic is Telecom companies” is not an performance. Still, many Americans likely meaningless because it is well appropriate basis for analysis: cannot access or afford broadband known that the cost of television many of these companies are internet. Addressing that disparity services in U.S. triple-plays vastly diversified into businesses other than should be a policy focus, and it’s not necessary to overstate the differences to exceeds similar charges in Europe. broadband. Comcast and AT&T v This is due to many factors. U.S. offer television services and own come to that conclusion. bundles typically include many more movie studios. Comcast owns theme channels, especially HD channels, parks, and AT&T owns legacy Roger Entner is the founder and lead than European bundles. Fees U.S. copper telephone networks and DBS analyst of Recon Analytics. He can be triple-play operators pay to acquire satellite systems. Consolidated capex reached at roger.entner@reconanalytics. local broadcast channels, sports figures from these companies are com.

102 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Public-Private Partnerships Offer Digital Divide Solution

Communities seek to overcome the challenges of providing broadband to residents and businesses by leveraging federal funding and private capital, enabling risk sharing in the creation of networks powered by open-access infrastructure.

By David Gilford / Broadband Equity Partnership

ccess to affordable, high-performance broadband Where private internet service providers (ISPs) failed remains a challenge for millions of Americans. to provide adequate service, cities often turn to municipal A Whether caused by infrastructure gaps, limited fiber to the premises (FTTP) models. With the government competition, or other policy and market failures, this digital becoming both infrastructure owner and service provider, these divide has persisted across administrations and decades. Today approaches enable municipalities to design networks that serve federal action is making significant new resources available their residents and achieve policy objectives. However, analysis to states and localities for broadband programs, most recently by University of Pennsylvania researchers of the financial the potential $65 billion in funding under the bipartisan performance of such networks illustrates the barriers to framework for an infrastructure bill reached in late June 2021. sustainable operation. Analyzing 20 municipal fiber networks, The magnitude of this funding enables cities of all sizes to the study found the majority were cash-flow negative over four consider bold investments in broadband infrastructure. years, with only two networks on a path to pay off the debt

Figure 1. In the dark fiber model, the public entity typically owns the fiber-to-the-premises infrastructure from a fiber termination panel in a network operations center to a network interface device at each residence and business. In the lit fiber model, the public entity also is responsible for network electronics inside the network operations center and the optical networking terminal at the customer premises and may also be responsible for the customer-premises equipment. This figure shows the different elements of the network, with the additional components the public entity owns and operates under the lit fiber approach. Source: The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

104 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 Figure 2. A successful partnership aligns each side’s needs and capabilities to allocate risk and responsibility efficiently. Source: The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

incurred within a network’s 30–40-year service quality and pricing. typical useful life. For such an approach to succeed, there must be clear delineation between NEW P3 APPROACHES the assets owned and managed by the Recognizing these challenges, new city (e.g., rights of way, conduit and public-private partnership (P3) middle-mile dark fiber) and those owned approaches that combine elements by the private partner (e.g., last-mile of both public and private models fiber laterals). An early example of this are emerging. A proposal from the model was Westminster, Maryland, Coalition for Local Internet Choice which in 2010 decided to build, own (CLIC), “Public Infrastructure / Private and maintain dark fiber, selecting Ting Service,” outlines what the authors Internet via an RFP to provide service call “a pragmatic, community-driven, over this public infrastructure, while pro-market, pro-business approach to striking a risk-sharing agreement that advancing broadband in communities limited each party’s downside risk in where solutions have not already relation to debt service and performance. emerged.” In such a model, the public In some cases, cities may choose to sector constructs and owns an open- provide open-access lit fiber service, as access fiber network, and private did UTOPIA (Utah Telecommunication ISPs operate and offer service on this Open Infrastructure Agency) Fiber, a public infrastructure. The public sector group of 11 Utah cities operating at the thus has control over where the fiber wholesale level using an active Ethernet network is built and how it is managed, infrastructure. The 11 residential and providing the foundation over which roughly 30 business ISPs offer end users one or more private partners offer far more options than is typical. Though internet services. The private sector in take rates are lower, UTOPIA says that turn assumes performance and market subscriber revenues have covered debt risks, competing for customers on service on all projects begun since 2009.

CFTT Fiber Transition Terminals Ideal for low density ber circuits, CFTT serve as a customer demarcation point and slack storage enclosure for ber at the customer premises

Figure 3. Across the country, early actors are developing new partnerships to bring next- generation broadband to their communities. Each version includes a creative way for each partner to share the capital, operating, and maintenance costs of a broadband network. Source: The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 105 THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

THE COVID-19 EFFECT city while creating infrastructure that The variety of approaches cities have In 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 can be used by multiple ISPs, mobile adopted recently gives a sense of the pandemic further accelerated network operators, and municipal catalytic potential of the federal funding interest in new business models for users. By selecting a partner that has being considered this year. An allocation the construction and operation of the capacity and incentives to engage of $65 billion toward universal networks. Facing a December 15, with the market, cities also have a broadband will have a major impact, 2020, deadline, the town of Bristol, potential to share in the financial yet the full scale of the national need New Hampshire, was able to use a upside of successful projects. is likely substantially higher. Similarly, $15.4 million allocation from the In addition to FTTP, wireless is once federal funding tapers off, cities Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic likely to play a greater role in municipal will need to position themselves for Security (CARES) Act to build the first broadband infrastructure over the sustainable operations. Rather than phase of a fiber network connecting the coming years. An open-access fiber taking the entire task on themselves, town to the existing Plymouth State model enables traditional ISPs and the municipalities can seek to combine the University, selecting eX² Technology to use of fixed wireless to reach hard- best of the public and private sectors. For deliver a hybrid network architecture many cities, this may mean leveraging solution using active Ethernet and to-serve areas. Similarly, as the 5G deployment accelerates nationally, the both federal funding and private capital, gigabit passive optical network enabling risk sharing in the creation (GPON) technology. rollout of small cells is of increasing importance to municipal leaders. of networks powered by open-access In some cases, public money may infrastructure. v not even be required. In May 2021, Cities that have open-access fiber Salem, Massachusetts, announced a infrastructure in place will be best partnership with SiFi Networks for $35 able to adopt multitenant, neutral David Gilford is a co-founder of the million in private investment to build host networks that provide equitable Broadband Equity Partnership, which a citywide, open-access fiber network. coverage while supporting municipal helps government, nonprofit organizations Funded by private investors, such an use cases such as educational, and innovative businesses close the approach limits the financial risk to a “borderless classroom” networks. digital divide.

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INCOMPAS Show_Vegas_2021_CIO Broadband Communities.indd 1 6/2/21 1:52 AM THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Could Fixed Wireless Access Bridge the Digital Divide?

With the ability to be deployed more quickly than fiber at a possible lower cost – especially in rural, hard-to-reach areas – fixed wireless access offers service providers another tool to give more people access to internet connectivity.

By William Webb / Cambridge Broadband Networks Group

digital divide occurs when some influence on the means of provision. For people have better access to the digital example, both require the ability to deliver 1 A world than others. Many people access Gbps or more, known as gigabit connectivity. the digital world using mobile connectivity, They are also time-bound, creating a need to so the key factor deepening the digital divide move quickly. The funds often have fiber in typically is home broadband. Without home mind, but shortened time scales often can make broadband, people can’t use mobile phones, fiber deployment unachievable because digging which typically camp onto home Wi-Fi. In is inherently a slow process. general, a home broadband speed of 100 Mbps In this case, the only alternative that can or more enables unconstrained access to the deliver gigabit connectivity is fixed wireless digital world. Anything less results in slower access (FWA). Other solutions, such as mobile services, and below 10 Mbps, some applications, and satellite, cannot reliably deliver these data such as gaming and high-definition video, may rates. FWA also has the advantage of being less not be possible. expensive than fiber outside of urban areas, The digital divide is purely an economic where buildings are spaced further apart and phenomenon. After all, if electricity can be the distances over which the fiber needs to be provided to a home, then so can fiber optic “dug” are greater. cables. But for homes outside urban areas, the Fiber deployment is well understood and cost of delivering high-speed broadband may metrics to measure it, such as cost per home be higher than the amount operators can afford passed (CPHP), are used as benchmarks. to pay. There are two solutions to this, often Fiber costs are relatively simple – the cost working in parallel. One is to reduce the cost is dominated by the installation of the fiber of provision; the other is for governments to (“digging”), which tends to be measured on a subsidize it. per-meter basis. A fiber cable is installed along a street, FIBER DEPLOYMENT CHALLENGES and the CPHP is the distance between homes Subsidies are being widely provided across multiplied by the cost per meter. Once a home many countries, such as the Rural Digital subscribes to the service, then there is a further Opportunity Fund (RDOF) in the U.S. and cost of extending the fiber from the road to the the Gigabit Voucher Scheme in the U.K. The house, which is again distance multiplied by terms associated with these can have a strong cost per meter.

108 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 For example, for homes spaced 10 meters apart, the CPHP is $300 if the Cost Per Home Connected for Rural Homes cost per meter of digging is $30. If 7000 homes are spaced 5 meters back from 6000 $ the road, then the cost of connection might be $150 digging plus perhaps e 5000 4000 ho m

$50 for installing a socket in the home. r

The cost per home connected (CPHC) e 3000 p

t then depends on the percentage of 2000 homes that take the service, so if 33 Co s 1000 percent take the service, the distance between homes taking the service is 30 0 meters, and the overall cost is $900 to 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% pass the home and $200 to connect, for Percentage homes subscribing a total of $1,100. The key parameters for fiber are Fiber FWA the cost of digging, the distance between homes and the subscription It’s not possible to generically compare cost per home passed or cost per home connected (CPHC) rate. As areas become more rural, for fixed wireless access and fiber. This graph depicts the CPHC versus the percentage subscribing the distance between homes can for a specific rural deployment. extend significantly. In addition, more backhaul is needed between rural communities, which can become a more homes subscribe or data usage maintain the network. significant component of overall cost. per home grows, there is no need to It is not possible to generically FWA ECONOMICS upgrade a network. FWA has a finite compare CPHP or CPHC for FWA and The economics of FWA are so different capacity, shared among all subscribers fiber. These metrics make sense only for that the simple metrics of CPHP make using a BTS. a specific deployment in which many little sense. Simply deploying a base As the number of subscribers or factors, such as distance between homes, station, or BTS, that covers an area usage grows, the BTS may need to be percentage take rate for the service, could be considered “passing” the upgraded or split into multiple BTSs. typical home usage and FWA spectrum home, so thousands of homes could be Therefore, fiber has an advantage in holdings, are specified. Otherwise, there passed for a cost of perhaps $30,000. places where capacity requirements are is little value in comparisons. The connection cost involves deploying high. Fiber also has an opex advantage For example, the chart above shows customer-premises equipment (CPE), because it is either a buried cable or is the cost per home connected versus the which might cost $370 for the CPE on an existing utility pole that needs percentage subscribing for a specific and $130 for installation, for a total no attention. FWA systems require rural deployment. of $500. As more CPE is deployed periodic replacement as the electronics FWA is relatively insensitive to within the coverage of a base station, deteriorates or become obsolete, the subscription rate, whereas fiber is the capacity of the base station may be perhaps on a 10-year cycle. sensitive, especially at low rates. exceeded, and more base stations may A digital divide exists because BROADBAND FOR ALL need to be built. provision of broadband is When looking at ways to bridge the As such, FWA is far less dependent uneconomical. Both the terms of digital divide, fiber has a high up-front on distance between homes and subsidy and the desires of users require cost as cable is laid, which grows as subscription rates. The major cost is relatively rapid deployment, and subscribers become more rural. There is connecting a home, and this is incurred FWA can be deployed much more a risk that if fewer homes than expected only when a home subscribes. This quickly than fiber. It can also cost less, take the service, there is no way to is known as a “success-based capex.” especially in the areas where a digital recover costs. However, once installed, Intuitively, FWA is increasingly divide is more likely to persist. v advantageous compared with fiber there is little need for additional capex when homes are more widely spaced or opex. In comparison, FWA has a and the subscription rate is lower. low up-front cost, which is minimally William Webb is the CTO of Cambridge However, the capacity of fiber is affected by how rural deployments Broadband Networks Group. effectively infinite – each home has its are, and low risk if fewer homes take own strand of fiber, which can deliver the service. Yet FWA needs ongoing a continuous 10 Gbps data stream. As capex to expand capacity and opex to

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 109 BROADBAND POLICY

Q&A with Mignon Clyburn How the Telecommunications Act of 1996 Unleashed a New Era of Competition

The former FCC commissioner looks back at the legacy of the legislation.

ormer FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn has a long history as a champion Fof telecom competition. During her FCC tenure, she was a proponent of key broadband measures, such as net neutrality, pole attachment reform, municipal broadband and telehealth. Along with INCOMPAS CEO Chip Pickering, a former Republican member of Congress from Mississippi, Clyburn now leads the INCOMPAS BroadLand campaign, focused on making “internet for all” a reality for millions of American families and small businesses – rural and urban – that lack competitive broadband alternatives offering faster speeds and lower prices. Though the BroadLand campaign is new, its genesis can be traced to the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996. In the year of its 25th anniversary, Clyburn reflects on Mignon Clyburn how the act provided a template to enable competition and new innovations. Broadband Communities spoke with Clyburn shortly after INCOMPAS announced the campaign. Following are highlights of the conversation. the law. It kept a promise to consumers and businesses that there will be more choices BROADBAND COMMUNITIES: The going forward, better customer service, Telecommunications Act of 1996 became law lower prices and access to innovation. It in February 1996. Looking back, what has it codified the commitment to lead the world meant for the communications industry? What in network growth to give consumers an lessons from the last 25 years can inform the overall better experience. next generation? Let’s look at what the mobile broadband Mignon Clyburn: I would sum up the space has done. It has opened the doors of significance of the Telecom Act in one opportunity. My nine-year-old niece can word: “competition.” It made competition recite half the songs on TikTok, and I was

110 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 able to embarrass my father, James The Telecom Act kept a promise to consumers Clyburn (House majority whip, D-SC), via social media when I and businesses that there will be more choices uploaded a video of him in front of a barbeque grill. He is not known going forward, better customer service, lower for grilling. prices and access to innovation. If you think about what the world looked like 25 years ago, a lot of these things were not possible. The Telecom Act opened incredible windows of opportunity for big players might say that they would Just think about it: If we had not players and also for smaller players have loved a few more guardrails launched the Telecom Act, would who are now big players. Think here and there. Just looking through we have seen and planted those about the big names we knew back today’s lens, there are local leaders seeds of more opportunities via these then. They were household names. and entrepreneurs who say they programs? Would we have been at But it’s noteworthy that I didn’t want more protections here or there. the point where we could say, “Look post the video of my dad grilling Also, the Telecom Act in and of at what’s worked and what we still – which now has 80,000 views – itself was very enabling. It did not need?” I don’t think there would on any of the platforms of those assume that this would be a one- have been an ECF, or at least not in big-name companies. I use that size-fits-all experience by way of its current form, if we had not set up homegrown example to show technology or by way of community a template. that the baton passed to other interest. There still are tremendous Snapshots in time are good players. The Telecom Act enabled opportunities to tailor via and allow us to plant the seeds access to other opportunities and regulatory next steps, public-private of possibility and keep building. new information. partnership (P3) opportunities, and Regardless of who came up with We now have access to people, community empowerment. the phrase “Build Back Better,” no matter where they are or whether If you were to force me to it is a motivational North Star, they have the same or similar say one word about the Telecom not because of the politics but platforms and connections. This is a Act other than “competition,” I because of the opportunities and U.S. milestone, but we can’t ignore would say “unleash.” It unleashed the potential. It recognizes that the that the Telecom Act recalibrated boundless opportunities. It allowed foundation was a solid one. what the world knows today. It had and enabled us to face several We need to meet the needs of international ramifications that challenges. We would not have had children and seniors – we’re talking we continue to build upon and conversations about broadband modify in ways to make sure the about continual learners and people opportunities before us are more or the digital divide without who need continual access to health widespread and more ubiquitous. this legislation. The Telecom care. There’s a need for businesses to Though it has opened some doors, Act enabled us to be our better be able to apply for funding online. doors are still stuck in some parts of selves and have access to better We’re building from the Telecom this country. We’re forced to reflect opportunities. It is a valid question, Act, and hopefully subsequent and say, “Did this do exactly what but I think the mystery behind it all acts and subsequent programs we wanted it to do?” The answer is is the challenge and opportunity. will continually do it better. I give yes, but there’s a “but” behind that. credit to the George H.W. Bush BBC: One key provision of the Telecom That’s why INCOMPAS embarked administration’s “Points of Light” Act was the E-Rate program. Though on the BroadLand initiative. concept. When we speak about E-Rate offers funding to bring what the times call for, I think BBC: Did the Telecom Act drive new connectivity to schools, students still the Telecom Act was an incredible competitors in the telecom market? struggle with little or no connectivity opportunity to see what’s possible What could have been done better? at home. What can be done to help through legislation, recognizing MC: It’s always easy to ask that bridge the homework gap? that businesses are organic partners. question. I always say bills are MC: No one is going to fix it all. E-Rate, At the end of the day, it’s about snapshots in time. People look at the Emergency Connectivity Fund improving subsequent generations’ lawmakers as if they’re genies, but (ECF) and other reforms that we’ve access to opportunities. they’re not. People look at laws as seen since the Telecom Act have if they are all-powerful, but they’re paved a way for us to learn more and BBC: Are there incentives the FCC could not. Hindsight is 20/20. Some see the benefits of investing more. offer to help providers extend services

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 111 BROADBAND POLICY We must build networks efficiently, and birthed through the Telecom Act, more of us see that we can build providing access via affordable platforms and out in a collaborative way and do it more efficiently and quickly and services is important, too. less expensively. There will be a growth of P3s in ways and forms that we did not see before. That’s another reason why I am so positive working on the INCOMPAS to homes to support a hybrid or all- home without someone telling me, BroadLand initiative. remote learning environment? “We need broadband.” Too many Two to three years ago, the MC: No two communities are the people don’t have access because support for P3s was not there. same. Communities have different affordability is an issue. We can’t Now we’re having fewer arguments needs, and the ability to have ignore that. about what communities need. tailored solutions is critical. Though The “build it, they will come” I am not going to argue about we need to write a prescription, we mentality has to be accompanied speeds, but I know that they’re not must always know that what I need by addressing other barriers to sufficient. Consider a household in in the not-so-affluent community of access. We must build networks which a grandma is talking to her Columbia, South Carolina, is not efficiently, but providing access to medical provider, a third-grader is what’s needed 20 miles up the road the infrastructure via affordable doing homework and a parent is in the same county, where there are platforms and services is important, attempting to reskill. That home even more significant challenges. too. has a lot of demand for bandwidth Nor is it the same as what’s needed We have a chance to right that – especially if the family is in Los Angeles, for example. the wrongs of the past and an income-challenged – it doesn’t have. What we see now is an opportunity to build a better future. Finally, we’re seeing how we can emphasis on empowering, enabling I have never been more positive get the speeds and infrastructure and encouraging public-private about the series of next steps in my households like that need. partnerships. We know that no 19 years of regulatory experience. matter what the funding apparatus We’re not debating the basics. That’s BBC: Do you see broadband and the is or what is budgeted, we’re not why I remain positive and why I am presence of fiber as important to going to be able to fix it all through part of the BroadLand campaign. making communities more attractive? an appropriation model. We’re MC: It is. It fuels and allows for more not going to be able to identify it BBC: You mentioned public-private opportunities. We must recognize all from Washington, D.C., so partnerships. How could P3s get the importance of fiber infrastructure these local leadership partnerships broadband into more households and to the rest of the ecosystem. This is are important. businesses? not a binary discussion. This is not This type of partnership is MC: Public-private partnerships are a fiber-versus-wireless discussion. happening in Los Angeles, which is drawing attention to areas that have Increasingly, people are seeing there’s working with Microsoft and Starry been attempting to heal themselves. no tension here. This is a positive to look at what’s going on with low- Communities want to do acknowledgement. We’re using income housing units. more things, but there are real or the conjunction “and.” We’re not We talk about broadband for all. perceived barriers in place. I think saying “or.” When you do that, the We all recognize that broadband there will be more P3s because opportunities are boundless. fuels opportunities by way of there are companies, such as We’re launching the BroadLand providing more access not only INCOMPAS members, that have campaign because we recognize for children but also for seniors. the expertise and the wherewithal, there are examples of scrappy, Thinking about my twilight years, but they need more [community innovative companies doing things this is empowering for me. involvement] to make it scale, in certain footprints that we know The 1996 Telecom Act will affordable and accessible. We might should be wired and should be more continue to be the compass in terms not have worked together before, enabling. They are proving all the of competition, partnerships and but I think if there’s any way for my naysayers wrong. I believe that is opportunities. Too many places community not to be served in year what creators of the Telecom Act in South Carolina lack sufficient 11 of a 10-year buildout plan, I am envisioned. It was a down payment broadband. I have been to these going to take it. via opportunities, competition communities. When I first got Because of what we’re seeing in and connectivity. We have a lot to on the FCC, I could not come Congress and because of what was celebrate, but we have a lot to do. v

112 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 2021 Program Chair Kevin Hart EVP, Chief Product & Technology Offi cer, Cox Communications

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Limited availability in select areas. May not be available in your area. www.corning.com/ftth/bbc | 800-743-2675 ©2019 AT&T Intellectual Property. All Rights Reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other AT&T marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. © 2017 Corning Optical Communications. CRR-634-AEN / January 2017

your technology. your mission. MDU4090_Fiber_Ad_BBC_Mag_M1R.indd RELEASE NY Creative Services Untitled:Users:kk846p:Desktop:MDU4090_Fiber_Ad_BBC_Mag_M1R.indd Radically2 Final_CRR-634-AEN_COR-12674_R2.inddyour success. our promise. User: KIM, KA RAN Printed at: 11-26-2019 1:48 PM From:SavedNCSMD02KK846P at 1-25-2017Last 12:32 saved: PM 11-26-2019By TB 1:46 PM Page #: 1 Printed At None Print %: None FONTS: ATT Aleck SansSimplified (Regular; OpenType), ATT Aleck Cmp (Light; OpenType) LAYERS: Crop Cubed, Layer 1, Slug Cubed IMAGES: TRIM 3.375" x 2.75" • • 19MDU_4090_Fiber_Ad_BBC_Mag_Resize_M1R.tif (CMYK; 300 ppi; 100%),Job att_hz_lkp_4cp_rev.ai info (11.66%), att_fiber_hz_1cs_wht.ai (9.17%) Approvals_____ Proofreader _____ Copywriter Fonts & Images LIVE/SAFETY 3.125" x 2.5" The StreetSmart Aerial FDH: BLEED 3.375" x 2.75" Job 12674 _____Art CD Director Art TB_____ Photo Editor Fonts Bringing Efficiency andClient COR _____Copywriter ACD Art None_____ Accounts TheSans C4s (SemiLight, SemiBold) Folded Size None Account Mgr TT _____ AD _____ Studio Gutter None Deployment Cost SavingsMedia to Type Print Ad Studio Artist None Images _____ CD Copy Panel Size None Live None Print Prd Mgr BS_____ Print ProductionThinkstockPhotos-542095422_Glow- INKS: Cyan, Aerial Magenta, FiberYellow, DeploymentBlack Trim 3.375” x 2.75” Home_crop.psd (CMYK; 783 ppi; 38.31%), Bleed None Notes Corning_Blue_BoxLockup_WhiteLogo_Sol- TO DO: OUTPUT: PDF: PROOF: RELEASE: Notes: id_cmyk.ai (20.47%) Click Here or Go to X1ANone & LR in Release Edits as Marked New Laser Low Res Single Pages ______Pubs______% None See Spec Sheet Create Comp Separations X1A www.SeeClearfield.comSpreads GRACoL Brand Muscle Layer PSD release www.niscInks.coop Mech/Re-Mech Comp ______% To Trim Size toUnder Learn 5 MBs More SWOP3 (Circ/Mag) Simian JPEG release Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black FPO Art Mounting: Crops NO Slug Under 10 MBs Newsprint (ISO) Collect for Insight DSTO Setting Place Final Art Foam or Board NO Tab Dieline Interactive Uncoated CFO NOT for release Email files to PM Resize White or Black NO Pink Strip Mobile/Web Lightweight Coated CFO For Release Edits and Release Call AD NO Dieline Create JPEG Photo X1A For Release

MAKE THEIR CONNECTIONS MOVE-IN READY. Deliver Fiber WiFi, full-featured Voice services and an extensive variety of entertainment options to your residents.

To learn more visit: SpectrumCommunitySolutions.com

114 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021 BROADBAND COMMUNITIES MARKETPLACE

To reserve space in this section and LEVERAGE the power of your advertising via print, digital, and multimedia exposure in the global market, contact Irene G. Prescott at 505-867-3299 or email [email protected].

Engage with us: Q.com/connectedcommunities

JULY 2021 | www.broadbandcommunities.com | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | 115 ADVERTISER INDEX / CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER ADVERTISER PAGE WEBSITE 19 – 22 3-GIS 39, 46 3-GIS.com NTCA Fall Conference 3HV 115 www.3hv.com Gaylord Opryland Resort & Advantage Engineers 48, 55 www.advantageengineers.com Convention Center AT&T 25, 50, 114 att.com/fiberproperties Nashville, TN Atlantic Engineering Group 51, 99 www.aeg.cc 703-351-2000 • www.ntca.org Broadband Communities Magazine 115 www.bbcmag.com 21 – 23 Broadband Communities Summit 2021 Outside Front Cover Flap–9, NATOA Annual Conference 114, 115 www.bbcmag.com Virtual Conference Calix 43, 53 calix.com/munis 703-519-8035 • www.natoa.org Charles Industries 105 www.charlesindustries.com CHR Solutions 54, 91 www.chrsolutions.com 27 – 30 Clearfield, Inc. 56, 114, Broadband Communities Summit 2021 Back Cover www.SeeClearfield.com/sfu Marriott Marquis Corning 60, 114, Houston, Texas Inside Back Cover www.corning.com/go 877-588-1649 • www.bbcmag.com Danella 62, 106 www.danella.com DISH Fiber 45 www.dish.com/fiber OCTOBER ENA 87 www.ena.com 11 – 14 EPB Fiber Optics 17, 64 epb.com/broadbandsolutions SCTE Cable-Tech Expo ESPi 65, 103 espicorp.com Georgia World Congress Center ETI Software Solutions 59, 65 www.etisoftware.com Atlanta, GA Fiberdyne Labs, Inc 66, 115 www.fiberdyne.com 800-542-5040 • www.expo.scte.org Finley Engineering 66, 77 FINLEYUSA.COM GigabitNow 68, 79 GigabitNow.com 18 – 21 INCOMPAS 107 show.incompas.org WISPAPALOOZA 2021 Lumos Networks / NorthState 26, 73, 85 www.northstate.net / Caesars www.LumosNetworks.com Las Vegas, NV Maxcell 57, 88 www.MaxCell.us/c/broadband/ 866-317-2851 • www.wispa.org Nex-Tech 31, 78 www.nex-tech.com/carrier NiSC 114 www.nisc.coop 25 – 27 OFS 75, 78 www.ofsoptics.com The INCOMPAS Show Quantum Fiber 35, 82, 115 Q.com/connectedcommunities The Cosmopolitan SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 113 expo.scte.org Las Vegas, NV Spectrum Community Solutions 13, 54, 114 www.SpectrumCommunity 202-296-6650 • www.incompas.org Solutions.com Ting 41, 87 tinginternet.com/business 27 – 29 Walker and Associates 11, 90 http://communication. Annual SHLB Conference walkerfirst.com/ Hilton Crystal City at Washington bbcmagazine_july2021 Reagan National Airport Wide Open Networks 62, 97 www.wideopennetworks.us Arlington, VA ZYXEL 27, 91 www.zyxel.com/us 202-263-4626 • www.shlb.org

NOVEMBER 8 – 10 Broadband Communities (ISSN 0745-8711) (USPS 679-050) (Publication Mail Agreement #1271091) is published 7 times OPTECH Conference & Exposition a year at a rate of $24 per year by Broadband Properties LLC, 1909 Avenue G, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Periodical postage paid at Gaylord National Resort & Rosenberg, TX, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Broadband Communities, PO Box 303, Congers, NY 10920-9852. Convention Center CANADA POST: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, National Harbor, MD PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. Copyright © 2021 Broadband Properties LLC. All rights reserved. 202-974-2300 • www.nmhc.org

116 | BROADBAND COMMUNITIES | www.broadbandcommunities.com | JULY 2021