News

BEAD award agreements are signed. Construction is starting. For ISPs entering new markets, the window to build brand awareness before a competitor does is open right now — and closing fast.

By Stacie McDonald, VP of Strategic Communications  The Bountiful Fiber and Harry teams at the Bountiful Farmers Market and sign lighting. At Harry Marketing, we’ve learned that there’s no such thing as a “typical” broadband provider. Some run municipal fiber networks with regional reach. Some are rural ISPs where the customer service rep might also be your neighbor. And some are in the middle of rapid growth, straddling wireless and fiber builds while juggling government aff

As 2025 begins, the broadband industry is navigating a year of change under a new administration, with potential shifts in policy and funding priorities. Advancements like AI-powered network management, cybersecurity, expanded fiber and 5G deployment, and a renewed focus on digital equity are set to redefine connectivity nationwide. Here are insights from industry experts and leaders on how these trends, along with evolving government leadership, could shape the future of bro

Insights from Regional Fiber Connect As BEAD funding gets bogged down and the initial excitement around the historic funding slowly starts to wane, industry stakeholders are grappling with a changing landscape. In the last month, conversations have been centered around delays, a few rounds of layoffs, and a hard look at the viability of some new broadband projects. Fiber Broadband Association’s Regional Fiber Connect in Des Moines, Iowa, provided a critical platform to discus

Among all the discussions on BEAD, maps, planning, and building fiber networks, one topic crucial to success is never mentioned enough—marketing. It's usually viewed as an afterthought or something that we’ll eventually get to, waiting for the stars to align exactly right, to attain a certain number of customers, case studies, or projects first. This approach ignores a couple of fundamental truths: marketing, when done correctly and successfully, takes time and informs the pr

The UTOPIA Fiber Demonstration Center in Murray, Utah. Harrison Edwards is pleased to welcome UTOPIA Fiber to its family of clients. Based in Salt Lake City, UTOPIA is the nation's largest Open Access fiber network offering business services in 50 cities and providing a fiber-to-the-home network in 14. Since 2015, UTOPIA has doubled its number of subscribers and has partnered with a long list of communities. Earlier this year, UTOPIA announced it was crossing state lines to

Keystone Resort in Dillon, CO will be home to 2019 the Mountain Connect Conference There is a considerable amount of focus on how community networks market themselves to residents and businesses. Only a few years ago, marketing was an afterthought for fiber network builders. Unfortunately, they learned the hard way that to build and operate a successful community network, community engagement and marketing need to be in place before the network is built, and once the network

We were delighted to learn this week of a recent CoStar study pointing to an increase in property value when a commercial building has fiber connectivity. The study, that was mentioned at a recent Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) meeting in White Plains, New York, compared data from buildings that had fiber connectivity with those with out. The CoStar team reports a 7% increase in property value among commercial buildings with fiber connectivity. Fiber network

I was asked last week to testify before the Energy and Technology Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly in support of Senate Bill 846 that clarifies Connecticut's long-standing Municipal Gain statute, adds language regarding municipal broadband deployments, and bolsters policies surrounding utility pole attachments. Sexy stuff! In Connecticut, where my family and I reside, our state has a unique statute allowing municipal government to use allotted space on utility

Are 2019 and 2020 game-changing years for community broadband deployment? All signs point to "YES!" New funding mechanism for Open Access networks are hitting the market now, opening up economic and community development opportunities for municipalities throughout America. Bob Knight, EVP, Broadband and Chief Operating Office of Harrison Edwards will moderate "Tipping Point: The Disruptive Model That's Bringing Funding and Fiber to American Communities" on Tuesday, April 9