Donnie Ford

FCC comes down hard on a carrier for ISP impersonation scams, like the large number of Spectrum and Directv discount calls we've all been getting. This is the way. https://lnkd.in/gsb3PXxm

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One thing I keep hearing from state broadband leaders is this: the real challenge in BEAD isn't getting to award—it's maintaining control and context as programs scale over the next 4-8 years. The programs that succeed long-term are the ones that build durable systems early. Not just software, and not just consultants, but the combination: embedded expertise working through systems that preserve institutional knowledge as teams change and programs grow. At Ready, our team brings the expertise and execution discipline, and ARC provides the system that carries it forward. Together, they strengthen state teams, preserve context, and support durable execution at scale, not replace the people doing the work. Drawing from deployments across multiple states, I've seen what separates programs that stay in control from those that lose momentum. It comes down to five principles that address the realities of multi-year execution. I wrote about them here, with the goal of helping state teams think through what "staying in control" actually requires: https://lnkd.in/g3eAcNyX

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Labor is 67% of your fiber deployment budget. There's now a proven way to cut it by two-thirds. The 2025 Fiber Broadband Association survey just confirmed what contractors already feel in their bones: Aerial deployment costs jumped 14% year over year. Skilled technicians are scarcer, wages are climbing, and pathway congestion is making every pull harder. In this environment, the physical specs of your cable aren't just a technical detail — they're a financial decision. TiniFiber has a patented answer: Micro Armor® — the world's smallest, most flexible armored fiber optic cable on the market. And they aren't slowing down. 📏 62% smaller diameter than traditional AIA — routes through congested conduits and tight risers where standard armor simply won't fit ⚖️ 78% lighter — a 1,000-ft reel drops from 206 lbs to just 45 lbs, enabling single-technician handling and faster staging 💰 ~67% reduction in labor costs — documented in their new white paper with side-by-side comparative analysis At Heather Technologies Corporation, we're proud to bring these world-class solutions to contractors and network owners who are fighting margin compression on every job. Micro Armor® isn't just a better cable — it's a smarter way to protect your project economics when labor is your biggest and most volatile variable. Are you currently factoring cable weight and diameter into your labor cost models — or is that still an afterthought during bid development? Heather Technologies Corporation 🌐 HeatherTechnologies.com ☎️ +1 949-774-4421 📩 Info@HeatherTC.com #FiberOptics @TiniFiber #BroadbandInfrastructure #FiberDeployment

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We are proud to announce our agent relationship with Accord Telecom! Accord represents over 40,000 miles of member-owner fiber optic infrastructure valued over one billion dollars. Collectively, Accord’s member-owners serve over 500,000 homes and businesses with fiber-based services and electricity. If you miss the days of dealing with a member owned local telco, give myself or Tonya Miller a call! We are excited to begin building out the fiber to enterprise clients all over Indiana and Ohio!

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EarthLink Business is expanding its reach with a full suite of connectivity solutions — and their Fixed Wireless option is leading the charge. Offering speeds up to 10 Gbps with rapid deployment and no data caps, EarthLink’s wireless solutions provide fast, reliable access without waiting on fiber builds. Perfect for primary, backup, or temporary connectivity, fixed wireless is helping businesses stay agile, connected, and resilient. As organizations architect their digital future, flexible connectivity is key — and wireless is becoming the foundation for what’s next. #WirelessConnectivity #FixedWireless #BusinessInternet #OneIntelisys #ConnectivitySolutions

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T-Mobile and NATE just signed a major agreement that directly impacts tower contractors and crews on the ground. Highlights: * Site-specific and regional pricing replaces the one-size-fits-all matrix * 6% rate increase until new RFPs are finalized by end of year * "Scope to Quote" tool launches by Sept 1 to define job-specific SOWs * 30-day pay terms with 50% upfront billing at job start * Relief from Avetta, Ariba, and PaymodeX fees for small businesses * Crackdown on 1099/undocumented labor—reporting and enforcement tools coming * Limits on tiered subs and a move away from "Super GC" and turf vendor models These changes didn’t come easy—NATE pushed hard to get them. This is a win for the people building the network. Now let’s hold them to it. #TowerTechs #WirelessContractors #NATE #TMobile #BuildAmerica #TelecomConstruction #FairPay #TowerSafety

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92% Of Contractors and Operators Are Feeling The Burn. The latest FBA/Cartesian report is out, and the data is clear: Fiber deployment costs spiked across 38 states in 2025. If your strategy for 2026 is still "squeeze the contractor for a lower bid," you’ve already lost. You can’t cost-cut your way out of rising labor, materials, and permitting delays. The new competitive edge? Radical Partnership. · FNOs: Your contractors are in the trenches daily. They know which methods cut costs without cutting corners. Plowing vs. trenching? Route optimization? Workflow improvements? They might have the answers - if you're willing to listen. · Contractors: Stop selling hours; start selling outcomes. Show how your innovation protects your client’s margins. Hard fact: The cheapest contractor rarely delivers the lowest total cost. The smartest partnership does. Costs are only going one way for now. Is your partnership model evolving fast enough to keep up? #FiberDeployment #Innovation #Broadband #Telecommunications #FNO #Contractors #USA

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The long-term success of the BEAD Program depends on more than deploying fiber it depends on building the workforce capable of sustaining broadband expansion for years to come. From fiber splicing and directional drilling to aerial construction and field operations, the telecommunications industry requires highly specialized talent. Training programs, apprenticeships, mentorships, and partnerships with technical schools will play a critical role in developing the next generation of broadband infrastructure professionals. As deployment accelerates nationwide, workforce development is no longer separate from broadband construction. It is part of the strategy itself. Read more in our latest article: https://hubs.la/Q04gj56j0

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Bandwidth Hawk: Fiber continues to dominate BEAD deployments. With proposed deployment plans now mostly submitted, fiber is still a big winner in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding. With BEAD proposals now largely submitted, representing $18 billion of the $41.6 billion appropriated for their use by Congress, fiber has still emerged as the technology of choice for over 2.2 million (at least 64%) of broadband serviceable locations (BSLs). Two Low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite providers snagged at least 770,000 BSLs (22%), terrestrial wireless collected 340,000 BSLs (almost 10%), and hybrid fiber-coax (HFC) picked up 35,000 BSLs (1%). Meanwhile, California still has until November 21 to propose how they’ll allocate funds to reach their BSLs. The cost in California is expected to be about 3% of the national total, even though California has more than a tenth of the nation’s population. The reason? California had more connected premises in the first place. There are also some definitional uncertainties that suggest fiber’s lead is even greater. More on that as well, below. In terms of funds allocated, Comcast (roughly $800 million as of mid-September) and AT&T (close to $600 million) seem to lead the pack. Ranked by premises served, SpaceX is the clear leader with Kuiper not far behind. SpaceX charges more (typically $1,500 per BSL versus roughly $1,000 per BSL for Kuiper), but SpaceX actually exists. Kuiper, however, is not operational at the scale of the BSLs it has won in state proposals – around 300,000. Thus, the national pattern holds true for the federal government’s per-premises cost to supply broadband – about $5,000 per premise, and under $7,000 per premise served by fiber. That’s in line with other federal broadband grant programs, such as ReConnect at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But the average hides a wide range in average costs by state and federal territory. That range is emphatically not due exclusively to how many premises are served by fiber (see tables below). Interpreting the numbers The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) defines a BSL as a residential or business structure that has or can potentially receive fixed broadband service. BSLs are ranked for BEAD eligibility in tiers on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband map, but the tiers can (as most readers know) be challenged by interested parties. Unserved BSLs are those that lack reliable service at least 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream. BSLs with some access but broadband service less than 100 Mbps downstream and 20 Mbps upstream are “underserved.” #FibreOpticInstallations #FibreOptics #AxisTech #Axis_Technical https://zurl.co/xKLTp

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Is permitting reform streamlining or steamrolling? H.R. 2289 — the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025 would codify new permitting requirements for wireless and wired telecommunications infrastructure. The House could soon vote on a permitting bill. The broadband industry may soon cheer if Congress legislates permitting reform. The industry has long complained that permitting processes across a multitude of federal, state and local jurisdictions are incredibly cumbersome. Now, Congress may act to streamline all of that. However, a host of local organizations are vehemently opposed to the federal government steamrolling over their municipal rules and regulations. There’s a good chance that members of the House of Representatives will vote on that bill soon. H.R. 2289 would codify strict timelines, varying from 60 to 150 days, for local governments to approve or deny wireless and wireline facility requests. If a locality misses its deadline, the permit is automatically approved once the applicant sends written notice of the failure. Essentially, the "deemed granted" mechanism means silence on the part of a locality equals approval. The bill also applies similar streamlining for new cable franchise requests In addition, under H.R. 2289, a broad set of "covered projects" are exempted from environmental impact statements and historic preservation consultations. And the laws are also loosened for tribal approvals, in favor of industry. This bill will probably be uniformly cheered by the telecom industry. But there’s also a lot of opposition. A group of organizations representing U.S. cities and counties sent a letter to House leaders on April 16, expressing their opposition to the bill. They wrote, “By imposing rigid federal ‘shot clocks’ and restricting local authorities’ ability to negotiate fair compensation for the use of public property, H.R. 2289 creates a framework that prioritizes communication companies’ shareholder value at the expense of the safety and financial interests of the communities and the taxpayers they serve.” Mike Lynch, legal and regulatory affairs director with the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), said, “H.R. 2289 is an unprecedented and dangerous usurpation of local governments’ authority to manage public rights-of-way and land use.” “It’s a giveaway to the industry.” The bill favors cable, wireless and broadband providers, but imposes no obligations on these providers to serve unserved and underserved areas. Asked if the bill has a good chance of passing, Lynch said, “We think it’s close.” But he added that many members of Congress got their start in local government, so they may find it unsavory to take away municipal control over their own locales. All of this is a bit reminiscent of the wireless preemption order in 2018, which expedited permitting for 5G small cells. But those rules were established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Related

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There was a recent decision and it’s going to impact pile attachment agreements across the industry. The Texas Supreme Court just reinforced something we see constantly in telecom: You can write anything you want in a contract, but the order of legal operations has a gravity no one can escape. In Spectrum Gulf Coast LLC v City of San Antonio 2026, the Court held that agreements requiring compliance with “all laws” apply to future regulatory changes—not just the laws in place when the contract was signed. In a regulated industry, that matters. Because when laws shift: • rates change • permitting changes • engineering assumptions change And if your contracts aren’t aligned with that reality, the problem doesn’t stay in legal—it shows up in the field. What I found especially interesting is that the Court didn’t rely on classification alone. Even though Spectrum isn’t a certificated telecom provider, the decision recognizes that behavior within shared infrastructure and competitive markets still drives regulatory impact. The infrastructure doesn’t care what you call yourself. If you’re on the poles, in the ROW, and serving the same customers, the rules will eventually converge on you. I’ve always said: Understand the laws. The rest is physics. https://lnkd.in/g29PVANV

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Two big stories out of the Lone Star State this week as Texas was given an extension by NTIA to submit their BEAD Final Proposal with the new due date being October 27, 2025. Texas has also made available up to $200M from the state's broadband fund for middle mile projects with applications due by November 20, 2025. https://lnkd.in/gh39csky

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New Mexico's broadband office said 44% of preliminarily approved projects involve serving locations with fiber, while 40% include plans to serve locations with fixed-wireless access, and 16% of approved projects include plans to service locations with LEO satellite.

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A good LLD should show how the network will actually be built, accessed, permitted, and maintained not just the shortest path from point A to point B. At Texas Fiber Design Group, we support FTTH and OSP teams with buildable fiber design, permitting support, redlines, revisions, and construction print packages that help keep projects moving. Clear design. Permit-ready prints. Stronger networks. #OSPDesign #LowLevelDesign #FTTH #FiberDesign #FiberConstruction #TelecomConstruction #PermitSupport #OSPEngineering #FiberOptic #TexasFiberDesignGroup

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Texas Fiber Design Group supports OSP teams with construction prints, redlines, permit revisions, utility conflict updates, and plan/profile drafting. The goal is simple: Clear prints. Clean coordination. Faster builds. When the drawings are clean, the field has a better shot at staying productive. #OSPFiber #FiberConstruction #TelecomConstruction #OSPDesign #FiberOptic #ConstructionPrints #UtilityCoordination #PermitSupport #TexasFiberDesignGroup

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Broadband expansion takes more than construction crews. Behind every successful fiber project is strong planning, accurate field data, and efficient permitting. At J2 TeleDesigns LLC, we support telecom providers and contractors with services that help keep projects moving from planning to closeout, including: • OSP Engineering • Fiber Design • Fielding & OSP Walkouts • Permitting & Permit Drafting • Make-Ready Engineering • Pole Loading Analysis • Desktop Surveys • As-Builts & Closeout Documentation As BEAD and rural broadband projects continue expanding across the Southeast, fast turnaround times and reliable communication are more important than ever. We’re proud to support teams building the future of connectivity. #OSP #Fiber #Telecom #Broadband #FTTH #FiberDesign #OSPEngineering #BEAD #RDOF #Telecommunications

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#Brightspeed continues to bring connectivity and connection to Central Texas! More than 58,800 homes and businesses in Bell and Coryell Counties now have access to Brightspeed's state-of-the-art, high-speed fiber network. By the end of the full fiber buildout, more than 97,500 locations across the communities of Copperas Cove, Gatesville, Killeen and Nolanville will have access, opening up new opportunities for remote workers, families, entrepreneurs and small businesses. Get the details at: https://bit.ly/43B0N1B

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