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Grays Harbor PUD Hits Phase Four Of Major Fiber Expansion

sean — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:03:13 +0000

Grays Harbor PUD Hits Phase Four Of Major Fiber Expansion

sean Tue Jun 2, 2026

Tue Jun 2, 2026

Grays Harbor Public Utility District (PUD), a wholesale open access telecom utility in Washington state, will soon enter phase four of an ambitious fiber expansion project that will bring affordable next-gen broadband access to rural residents written off by the monopolies that were supposed to serve them. The PUD also says that Phase 4 of the PUD’s fiber internet expansion in south Elma, Porter and Cedarville will be reached later this Spring, bringing access to locals who have been waiting for years for faster, more reliable, and more affordable service.

Utah’s UTOPIA Passes 67,000 Subscriber Mark

sean — Tue, 26 May 2026 14:23:46 +0000

Utah’s UTOPIA Passes 67,000 Subscriber Mark

Karl Bode

sean Tue May 26, 2026

Tue May 26, 2026

UTOPIA Fiber says it deployed more than a million miles of fiber and conduit across Utah last year accumulating 67,000 total subscribers, as the collaborative open access fiber provider continues to make steady inroads in transforming the state’s broadband competition landscape. According to a new update by the organization, UTOPIA not only laid a million miles of fiber across Utah last year, the network continues to see steady subscriber growth and profitability.

National Fiber Buildout Goes Local as Co-ops, Munis, and Independent ISPs Drive 40 Percent of the Fiber Boom

sean — Tue, 19 May 2026 18:10:11 +0000

National Fiber Buildout Goes Local as Co-ops, Munis, and Independent ISPs Drive 40 Percent of the Fiber Boom

Sean Gonsalves

sean Tue May 19, 2026

Tue May 19, 2026

Leading members of the fiber industry descended on Orlando, Fla. this week for the Fiber Broadband Association's annual Fiber Connect conference to take stock of a national inflection point fueled by the federal BEAD program and the all-consuming rise of AI. Themed “Light Years Ahead,” the underlying take-away was that the buildout boom is far from over and the easy part is mostly behind us, according to numerous reports from those in attendance.

Longmeadow, Mass. Residents Vote Down Community Fiber Network

sean — Mon, 18 May 2026 18:31:04 +0000

Longmeadow, Mass. Residents Vote Down Community Fiber Network

Karl Bode

sean Mon May 18, 2026

Mon May 18, 2026

The city of Longmeadow, Massachusetts has failed to get a two-thirds voting majority necessary to move forward with its plan to deploy affordable fiber to every city resident. The vote comes after local telecom monopolies were caught funding an out of town dark money nonprofit to sow doubt about the benefits of the project in the minds of the local electorate.

Okanogan County Public Utility District Lights Up Fiber In Rural WA

sean — Mon, 11 May 2026 18:24:17 +0000

Okanogan County Public Utility District Lights Up Fiber In Rural WA

Karl Bode

sean Mon May 11, 2026

Mon May 11, 2026

The Okanogan County Electric Cooperative and the Okanogan County Public Utility District say they’re making steady progress on bringing affordable fiber broadband access to Okanogan County, a highly rural stretch of rugged land in Washington state on the border of Canada. The coalition is poised to bring next-generation fiber to as many as 1,366 peppered along the upper Methow Valley this year starting near Chewuch River and ending at Lost River. Many of these areas will be seeing fiber upgrades for the first time ever after years stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide.

Another Blow to Digital Equity: Court Kills FCC's Anti Digital Discrimination Rules

sean — Thu, 07 May 2026 20:16:03 +0000

Another Blow to Digital Equity: Court Kills FCC's Anti Digital Discrimination Rules

Sean Gonsalves

sean Thu May 7, 2026

Thu May 7, 2026

In yet another bruising blow in the fight to ensure equitable access to high-speed Internet service, an appeals court struck down federal rules this week that aimed to combat digital redlining. Though the FCC had not exercised its anti-digital discrimination authority in a single instance, the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled that the FCC had exceeded its authority by even having a rule that threatened to impose liability on ISPs for “disparate impact,” instead of relying on instances of “disparate treatment.”

California PUC Issues $3.29 Million In Digital Literacy Grants

sean — Tue, 05 May 2026 18:44:43 +0000

California PUC Issues $3.29 Million In Digital Literacy Grants

Karl Bode

sean Tue May 5, 2026

Tue May 5, 2026

The California Public Utilities Commission has approved $3.29 million in grants aimed at dramatically shoring up digital training and public broadband access in communities across the state. All told, more than 18 new digital literacy projects and three expanded public broadband access projects will be funded, impacting more than 16,000 Californians.

Major Flagstaff Fiber Expansion Through Wecom Public-Private Partnership

sean — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:06:43 +0000

Major Flagstaff Fiber Expansion Through Wecom Public-Private Partnership

Karl Bode

sean Thu Apr 30, 2026

Thu Apr 30, 2026

The public-private partnership the city struck Arizona-based Wecom Fiber is expected to inject at least $100 million into local economy over five years while saving the city an estimated $18 million in capital expenses. The fiber network will ultimately pass 30,000 locations within Flagstaff city limits, but also connect 34 municipal facilities. Construction of the network began in April of 2025, and is poised to deliver more than 815 miles of new fiber across Coconino County.

New Law Would Force FCC To Restore Communications Equity And Diversity Council

sean — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:05:35 +0000

New Law Would Force FCC To Restore Communications Equity And Diversity Council

Karl Bode

sean Tue Apr 28, 2026

Tue Apr 28, 2026

Congressmembers Rob Menendez, Doris Matsui (CA-07), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), and Troy Carter, Sr. (LA-02) have introduced new legislation that would compel the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to re-establish the Communications Equity and Diversity Council. The Council had operated in some capacity since 2003 under multiple partisan administrations to make the communications sector more equitable and reduce digital discrimination, until FCC Chair Brendan Carr arbitrarily disbanded it in January 2025.

Local Governments Strongly Oppose The American Broadband Deployment Act

sean — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:51:59 +0000

Local Governments Strongly Oppose The American Broadband Deployment Act

Karl Bode

sean Thu Apr 23, 2026

Thu Apr 23, 2026

Local government organizations are voicing their strong opposition to the American Broadband Deployment Act, an industry friendly proposal being cooked up in the House that would take public rights of way management and property decisions away from state, local, and tribal governments through federal preemption and industry-friendly defaults. The American Broadband Deployment Act (HR 2289) saw initial approval by the US House Energy and Commerce Committee last January. It’s being presented by telecom companies as a way to dramatically streamline government broadband permitting and regulation, something they insist will speed up the deployment of fast, affordable broadband access.