2023 VISIONARY SPOTLIGHT AWARDS | CHANNELVISION FirstLight Fiber FirstLight’s mission is to expand its high-performance fiber network to reach businesses and communities across its geography, with a special focus on the underserved or unserved. During the past year, FirstLight focused on two regions: Western New York and rural Western Maine. In Maine, its fiber expansion brings high-speed fiber connectivity to rural areas that have lacked quality internet access. It transitioned 300 miles of its ILEC service territory from the legacy copper network to fiber-to-the-home service. In Western New York, FirstLight constructed 773 miles of fiber in the region to bring high-speed, symmetrical broadband services to numerous organizations. FirstLight exceeded its goal of building an additional 1,700 route miles of fiber in New York State in 2022. GeoLinks GeoLinks’ trademarked ClearFiber hybrid networks makes the company capable of providing high-speed internet to the underserved and unserved. Using solar relay stations, GeoLinks reaches rural communities and anchor institutions without requiring a connection to the electric grid, enabling the service to expand to territories that competitors can’t reach. This technology lets GeoLinks deploy high-speed broadband to thousands of locations in previously unserved areas through the Connect America Fund (CAF) and to secure funding for additional deployment under the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). LiveOak Fiber LiveOak Fiber is building a fiber network to bring affordable, reliable internet services to underserved communities in the Southeastern United States. To address the number of households and businesses that lack access to broadband internet, LiveOak has invested $160 million in fiber network infrastructure for key markets. With this investment, LiveOak is deploying 2,500 miles of fiber to serve more than 200,000 people in Okaloosa County, Fla., and Glynn County, Ga. Most recently, LiveOak Fiber announced it will acquire the fiber network assets of Alma Telephone Company, which allows it to expand its footprint in the region. Ziply Fiber Ziply Fiber remains committed to building out a 100-percent fiber network with attention to underserved communities across its four-state Northwest region. Ziply Fiber understands the critical importance of connectivity to small and rural towns traditionally overlooked by larger internet service providers. Expansion into underserved areas enables communities to keep their local businesses afloat, and it raises home values and invites economic growth through commercial and residential development. Last year, Ziply Fiber completed 1,700 new fiber route miles and this year launched its first edge-out market Telecom/ Legal/Regulatory Sterling Business Law Sterling Business Law provides corporate legal and advisory counsel to entrepreneurial and emerging growth firms throughout the telecommunications and information services industries. As outside counsel to a variety of companies, Sterling Business Law adds value at the crowded and confusing intersection of law, regulatory, finance, strategy and operations. Tarana Wireless After hiring Carl Guardino as its VP of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Tarana has become a champion of the wireless industry, spreading the message of ngFWA’s potential. Next generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) is a new technology purpose-built for fixed broadband. In December, Tarana conducted a demonstration in Washington D.C. to showcase the viability of ngFWA in real-time and change the perception around wireless technology’s ability to deliver reliable broadband. The results showcased a 450 megabits per second (Mbps) download speed through a wireless, non-line-of-sight (NloS) radio link in unlicensed spectrum, compared to <50 Mbps on the same link before Tarana’s interference cancellation technology was turned on. Tarana’s ngFWA has evolved into a critical mission to influence the policies and regulations that impact access to adequate and affordable broadband globally. Wholesale Broadband and Capacity Astound Wholesale Astound Wholesale is a provider that focuses on last mile Ethernet, broadband, wavelength and DIA services across a 100 percent fiber network. Astound provides access to more than 100 datacenters across 14 markets with its no-fee 10G and 100G NNI access points. To provide its customers with the high-end service they deserve, Astound has introduced several points of automation to support efficient access to competitive pricing and order processing.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4Njc=