rural fiber – Fiber Broadband Association

PAC Fiber Selects ADTRAN’s Combo PON to Harvest Better Broadband

ADTRAN — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 04:00:00 +0000

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -(April 27, 2021)— ADTRAN®, Inc., (NASDAQ: ADTN), the leading provider of next-generation multi-gigabit fiber and fiber extension broadband access solutions, today announced PAC Fiber is leveraging ADTRAN’s 10G fiber access platform with flexible Combo PON technology to future proof its broadband network. The service provider is a Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) recipient, and ADTRAN is helping it seamlessly improve network capacity and expand its network to reach more subscribers. PAC Fiber is leveraging the expanded capacity of XGS-PON to support its community in rural Georgia as the need for better, faster broadband grows. It is now offering multi-gigabit broadband services that will connect local farms, families and students to better economic opportunities.

PAC Fiber is a residential and business service provider based in Bryan County, Georgia—about an hour west of Savannah. It is expanding services into Evans County, a community that is famous for its Vidalia onion crop. Many farms now utilize advanced agriculture systems, like connected sprinklers, that rely on wireless internet to enable more precise, remote management. However, Evans County was underserved by most major service providers, leaving the community in a broadband desert. In fact, farmers had to travel into neighboring towns to leverage free Wi-Fi at fast food restaurants just to manage their crop watering schedules. Local students made the same trip to log onto virtual learning platforms and complete homework assignments. PAC Fiber knew this neighboring community deserved a better broadband option, so it selected the ADTRAN Total Access 5000 10G fiber access platform with Combo PON technology to seamlessly update its network’s capabilities to multi-gigabit service delivery and greater customer capacity throughout Evans County.

“We’re in an age where connectivity is crucial to quality of life—especially in a pandemic where remote work, learning, healthcare and even social visits have gone virtual. But beyond that, broadband can connect communities to important opportunities that enable residents and businesses to thrive,” said Adam Kennedy, Director for Claxton-Evans County Economic Development Authority. “We’re thankful for PAC Fiber and its broadband network. This advanced infrastructure will enable us to attract new industries, support existing businesses and generate a brighter future for local families.”

“The difference between us and a Tier 1 operator is that we prioritize our community over revenue. When the pandemic hit, we put every consideration in place to support our local residents and businesses, even setting up hot spots in parks where students could stay in their car and remain safe while connecting to the internet to do schoolwork,” said Noah Covington, Director of Operations at PAC Fiber. “We have partnered with ADTRAN for many years and they always help us build the right network that is agile, reliable and enables us to do these types of community initiatives, while keeping our prices competitive.”

The ADTRAN 10G fiber access platform is the highest density XGS-PON solution in the U.S. market and serves as the foundation for the industry’s most comprehensive RDOF portfolio. By selecting ADTRAN’s Combo PON technology, PAC Fiber can merge its mature GPON network with next-generation multi-gigabit XGS-PON technology to save 66% in energy costs versus operating two separate GPON and XGS-PON modules. Because it supports XGS-PON technology on the same fiber plant and the same electronics that delivers their GPON technology, Combo PON removes the need to reinforce feeder fiber, change the fiber plant, add space and power, or make complex OSS/IT changes.

“ADTRAN understands the economic and quality of life impacts fiber broadband can have on a community and the people that live there, and we’re excited to help bring better broadband services to Bryan and Evans Counties,” said Craig Stein, Vice President of Sales at ADTRAN. “We want all of our customers to have the ability to deliver high-impact fiber broadband services wherever it is needed to help businesses grow, students learn and communities prosper. ADTRAN’s Combo PON technology can play a key role in making the economics of higher-value fiber broadband services work for communities like those PAC Fiber serves.”

To learn more about ADTRAN’s fiber access platform’s full features, please visit www.adtran.com/TA5000. To read more about PAC Fiber and its journey to bring next-generation broadband to rural Georgia, please download the case study here www.portal.adtran.com/PACFiber.

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PAC Fiber Selects ADTRAN’s Combo PON to Harvest Better Broadband

ADTRAN — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 04:00:00 +0000

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Wall Street Insights on Broadband Investment Trends Today and in the Future

Mary Cullen — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 04:00:00 +0000

After 25 years of equity experience, exclusively in the communications equipment sector, Jefferies Managing Director and Equity Research Analyst George Notter is no stranger to the ins and outs of broadband investment. In short, Notter describes his work as being an advisor to investors. His research portfolio includes top suppliers like ADTRAN, Apple, Calix, Cisco, Corning, Juniper Networks and more.

Notter spoke with the Fiber Broadband Association at a recent Fiber For Breakfast to discuss the market opportunity for rural broadband operators.

“The view is that everyone has broadband and it’s good, but the reality is that’s not true,” Notter said. “Everyone knows someone who lives in a more rural community that doesn’t have access to broadband.”

According to a study published in January 2021, there is a recognizable population shift out of urban cities and into rural communities. The study utilized mail forwarding requests to determine the population shift. Notter explained that there are 2.5 million mail forward request submissions requested every month. Looking at urban zip codes, the move-out requests noted in the study were up by 17% year over year and the move-in requests to urban zones was up only 7%–that’s a large exodus. When looking at where those mail forwarding requests were being changed to, those populations are not going into the suburbs, Notter explained. Instead, they’re going into exurbs (areas outside of the denser suburban areas) and rural areas.

“You see this COVID-induced shift towards home ownership and out of urban centers into areas that are lower cost,” Notter said.

In December 2020, the FCC published its census broadband connection data identifying 105 million homes in the US that are served with broadband internet.

“However, the FCC’s definition of broadband is very generous,” Notter cautioned.

He said he believes there are at least 23 million American homes that are flat unserved–not receiving any connection. “My estimates indicate that number goes up to at least 30 to 35 million homes with adding in those that are underserved.”

From an investor’s perspective, Notter said there is always concern with a lax in demand. One day, or for a long stretch of days, a product or service is hot on the investor market only for demand to fall and for that market to falter.

“That’s a view I don’t subscribe to for broadband,” Notter explained. “Demand for broadband will be lasting. COVID really shined a light on how necessary broadband is for rural development and the demand for broadband will likely continue to accelerate.”

On the other side of a high demand is concerns about supply.

“In an ordinary environment I’d say I’m not too concerned about [supply constraints], but this is not an ordinary environment at all and there are supply issues everywhere,” Notter admitted. “I’ve got this sort of hope that a lot of the vendors have gone a bit overboard in terms of being cautious on their supplies and when time plays out, hopefully the shortages won’t be as bad as they were perceived.”

Notter explained that looking back two or three years ago, he felt there was something of a capital spending truce going on between the industry’s larger public companies.

“However, now the competitive environment is really heating up and folks are realizing that this is an attractive market and there is a real ROI–even in investing in the rural markets,” he said.

The ongoing and future planned funding for rural broadband development helps aid in that competitive market. For example, the RDOF auction last year and the planned phase 2 auction that will invest another $11 billion in funding over another 10-year period in the coming years. Notter also mentioned the American Rescue Plan of 2021 that was recently passed and signed into law that identified $350 billion that could funnel into various rural broadband costs.

“There’s lots more opportunity for funding that we’re excited about. We know the democrats have these intentions that are very significant in terms of big dollar values for broadband.” Notter explained, noting the recently introduced Accessible, Affordable Internet For All Act.

“There’s significant new funding coming into the space that can really drive broadband forward,” Notter concluded. “I’m a big fan of this rural broadband theme and I like what’s going on. There’s a big need in the space. There’s a lot of government dollars coming in and it’s a big picture that we like.”

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Lit Communities Closes Investment from Stephens Capital Partners and The Pritzker Organization to Deploy Broadband Networks Across the Country

Lit Communities — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Birmingham, AL – March 1, 2021 – Lit Communities (“Lit”) announces partnership with Stephens Capital Partners (“Stephens”) and The Pritzker Organization (“TPO”) to expand Lit’s broadband deployment efforts into multiple markets across the country. The first project will be in Medina County, OH with Lit’s subsidiary company, Medina Fiber. Stephens and TPO have deep experience investing in and supporting the growth of broadband service providers and are partnering with Lit to better connect the people of Medina County.

Since its launch in April 2019, Lit has worked with municipalities to guide them through the complex and multifaceted process of deploying fiber optic broadband networks. Through the Lit team’s vast experience in deploying large volume networks, it has created a Community Assessment process that gives local municipalities an actionable business plan for implementing next generation connectivity for their residents. If the business plan requires a private partner to complete the last mile network, Lit creates a local Internet Service Provider and fiber infrastructure subsidiary to deliver the necessary services.

Following the successful build out of its middle mile network, Medina County, OH officials sought a partner to help it extend fiber to the home and business owners throughout the County. The county selected Lit which completed its Community Assessment and with the funding provided by Stephens and TPO will begin construction on Medina Fiber immediately.

“We spent a long time trying to find investment partners who believe in what we were doing, trust our process, and see the future of how we could help bridge the digital divide that currently exists across America. We found those partners with Stephens and TPO,” said Brian Snider, Founder and CEO of Lit. “With their support we will accelerate the rollout of Medina Fiber and look to future markets where our unique business model can thrive. Stephens and TPO have been true partners and our teams have felt like a cohesive unit from the start. We look forward to working closely together to expand Lit connectivity nationwide.”

“Lit has a proven model of working in partnership with communities to build out networks properly from the start,” said Alex Feld, Principal at TPO. “The process Lit has built will change how partnerships can help bring broadband into parts of the country that desperately need it. The entire team at TPO is looking forward to working closely with Lit to connect the people of Medina County, as well as communities across the country in the years to come.”

“From the first day we were introduced to Lit and their team, you could tell that they aligned to what Stephens’ vision is for the future of last mile networks,” said Matt Dement, Managing Director at Stephens. “With their municipal partnership approach, Lit has the tools and long-term vision to bring connectivity to markets that otherwise would be without. Recently, COVID has put a spotlight on outdated broadband infrastructure, which Lit has been working towards addressing for years. This investment and partnership will provide more homes and businesses the connectivity they need.”

Lit will be announcing additional markets as it continues to grow.

About Lit Communities

Lit Communities is both a forward-thinking builder and operator of next-generation network infrastructure and an advisory firm that guides communities across the country through the complicated process of deploying fiber optic broadband networks. www.litcommunities.net

About Stephens Capital Partners

Stephens Capital Partners LLC (“SCP”) is the principal investing arm of the Warren A. Stephens family and Stephens Inc. SCP identifies opportunities to work with industry-leading management teams with a long-term perspective. SCP provides public and private companies with capital for purposes of growth, recapitalization, and leveraged buyouts. Stephens Inc. is a full-service investment banking firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas serving a broad client base of corporations, state and local governments, financial institutions, institutional and individual investors throughout the United States and overseas. The firm is a member of the New York Stock Exchange and SIPC. For more information, see www.stephens.com

About The Pritzker Organization

The Pritzker Organization is the merchant bank for the business interests of the Tom Pritzker family. TPO is focused on partnering with exceptional leaders to create value across a wide range of industries. TPO looks for opportunities where it can create value for our family’s interests and our partners and colleagues over a significant time horizon. For more than 60 years, TPO has overseen and guided the development of dozens of portfolio companies across a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, logistics, life sciences, hospitality, healthcare and services. Notable businesses include Hyatt Hotels, Triton Container and the Marmon Group. Recent control investments include TMS International, Lithko Contracting, KBP Investments, Mammoth Holdings and STV Inc. In addition to its core strategy of building businesses over the long term, TPO is also active in special situations, advising the family’s interests in the deployment of capital across a wide spectrum of industries and across every tier of the balance sheet, from senior debt to equity. Additional information can be found at www.pritzkerorg.com

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Quenching the Thirst of a Parched County in a Broadband Desert

Mary Cullen — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 05:00:00 +0000

To outsiders, Evans County, Georgia, is best known for its annual rattlesnake festival, Vidalia onions and everyone’s favorite holiday dessert–it’s the fruitcake capital of the world! But to those that live there, they’re most familiar with the struggles of living in a broadband desert.

“Internet connectivity was a problem (in Evans County) long before COVID,” PACFiber (Pembroke Advanced Communications) Director of Operations Noah Covington said during Week 5 of the Fiber Broadband Association’s Fiber for Breakfast series. He noted how primary and secondary schoolers have long struggled to complete online homework, and college students have had to contemplate coming home for weekends at the risk of not being able to log-in to check online classes and assignments. That problem only expanded its reach at the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic and learn-from-home mandates.

PACFiber made fiber-to-the-home deployments its mission in 2014. Expanding its portfolio from TV, voice and cellular to high-speed broadband internet access, PACFiber answered the call put out by its neighbors in nearby Evans County–a primarily rural county with 11,000 residents and little to no broadband connection.

Connectivity frustrations didn’t stop at students.

“Have you ever had a Vidalia onion? They’re the best onions you could ever eat,” Covington awed. “They write songs about these onions.”

Vidalia onions, one of Evans County’s claims to fame, require precise agriculture. In today’s world, precise agriculture relies heavily on pre-set functions and programs–all set and monitored through an internet connection.

“Farmers who can’t get wireless or decent internet service to their homes end up going into town to use their cell phones or get on a wireless connection in town so that they can set up their precision agriculture,” Covington explained.

Broadband connectivity in the 21st century is not merely a convenience. It is a necessity. PACFiber knows this.

To first expand into Evans County, PACFiber was awarded a 50/50 grant through phase one of the ReConnect Program. ReConnect phase two brought additional funding and PACFiber now has a coverage area that includes 2,500 unserved homes, or 6,000 people. PACFiber investments into Evans County alone now total $13 million dollars in combined grants and company matches.

“The hardest part was getting there. Once you get there, you can expand in the community to who needs service,” Covington said. “These are people who do not have service.”

The ReConnect program allows for a 5-year deployment timeline. Covington said PACFiber expects their Evans County coverage (50% of households) to be complete in four.

“You feel like a hero,” Covington smiled. “You go into these communities with your PACFiber shirt on and they treat you like a hero.”

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