News

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

Bob Knight, CEO of Harrison Edwards , Co-Chair of the Fiber Broadband Association’s Public Officials Committee, a founder of the National Fiber Coalition, and a 2022 Chair of the Broadband Communities Summit, issued the following statement applauding President Biden’s nomination of Gigi Sohn as an FCC Commissioner today: “I applaud President Biden’s nomination of Gigi Sohn as FCC Commissioner . Gigi possesses a mastery of complex policy matters, understands the needs of consu

Special Statement from Roger Timmerman, CEO, UTOPIA Fiber on H.R. 1738 "Accessible Affordable Internet for All Act" (Murray, UT)…...The following Special Statement is from Roger Timmerman, CEO, UTOPIA Fiber, the nation’s largest and most-successful, publicly-owned Open Access fiber-broadband network: “The future of American high-speed broadband will be built on a foundation of transparency, affordability, and consumer choice. These are the core values that make Open Access n

Vitruvi , the Calgary-based company that produces sophisticated construction management software, announced during Fiber Connect today that CommScope (NASDAQ: COMM) has selected its end-to-end GIS-based web- and mobile app-enabled project management platform to support the accurate and timely completion of its network construction projects. CommScope plans to deploy Vitruvi software on its fiber and wireless projects in North America, Europe, and Asia. “We are honored that

Paul Sulisz, CEO of Biarri Networks , announced today a pilot project in cooperation with Australian Spatial Analytics (ASA) , a not-for-profit organization that provides employment for young adults on the autism spectrum. Biarri is the internationally-known telecom engineering company specializing in data-driven broadband network design and deployment. The Biarri/ASA pilot project will run through December with three individuals who will work alongside Biarri’s network desig

Broadband Communities Magazine has announced that Bob Knight, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Harrison Edwards PR has been named a co-chair of the 2021 Broadband Communities Summit, to be held April 19-22 at the Marriott Marquis in Houston, TX. Knight, who leads Harrison Edwards’ broadband practice, will provide strategic direction and help shape programming for this annual industry event that draws upwards of 1,000 attendees, speakers, and sponsors

David Corrado, CEO of Medina County Fiber Network (MCFN) announced today that network revenue has met the key milestone of equaling its monthly bond payment through subscriber revenue. MCFN, which launched in 2013, has been providing high-speed fiber connectivity to over 200 local businesses with extremely-fast speeds of up to 10GBps. Its “Open Access” model allows internet service providers (ISPs) to lease space on county-owned fiber infrastructure and compete for customers

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

In this morning's news, it was reported that a market disruptor, new to the fiber-broadband space, was experiencing financial troubles. While it's difficult to receive news like this--some of their talented employees are friends--it's important to remember that deploying a fiber-broadband network is a sophisticated process, honed by professionals with years of experience. America's leading fiber-broadband professionals have connected millions of people in America’s urban, s

One of the nation's hottest regions for fiber-broadband deployment is the midwest. The Great Lakes region is home to exciting fiber projects ranging from county-wide deployments in Ohio, to city-wide deployments in Michigan, and a renewed statewide plan in Illinois. It's why Harrison Edwards is this year's media sponsor of Great Lakes Connect Broadband Development Conference , September 30-October 2 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Our Executive VP of Broadband, Bob Knight, will m

A coalition of State's Attorneys General may block the T-Mobile-Sprint merger that was recently approved by the Justice Department. Photo Credit: Getty Images There's been much talk this week about the T-Mobile-Sprint merger. It's been lauded a means to connect 99% of the country to 5G service by the wireless industry, a message that's been echoed by scores of lobbyists and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai (and ultimately two of his four other colleagues at the Commission). The Justice

Are we ready for autonomous vehicles (AVs)? That's the question being asked this week at the Northeast Connected & Automated Vehicle Summit in Hartford, Connecticut. Top brass from transportation departments across the nation are grappling with "massive social, industrial, and economic changes to the status quo of transportation and mobility," according to Joseph Giulietti, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Officials are working diligently to map

L-R: Kelly Ryan, CEO, iFIBER Communications; Hon. Carol Carter, Mayor, Village of Seville, Ohio; Dave Corrado, CEO, Medina County Fiber Network; Brian Snider, CEO, Lit Communities; and James Cowan, Founder, Docity at the Medina Fiber kickoff April 2, 2019. (HEPR Photo) Officials in Medina County, Ohio have selected Lit Communities to oversee an aggressive plan to bring fiber to every home in the count.y. Lit will oversee the design, deployment, and financing of Medina's fi

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

With Amazon confirming today that it will build part of its HQ2 in Long Island City, Westchester wins through osmosis; the door now opens for other New Economy businesses to follow. We just need them to cross the city line and think Westchester. And they might, provided we give them what they need. New Economy companies, existing businesses, healthcare providers, and entertainment outlets need a large digital workforce and the right digital infrastructure, let alone space,