Broadband Bytes Newsletter

Have you checked out Broadband Action, the CBAN podcast? If not, we encourage you to do so on whatever platform you use to listen to podcasts! Spotify Anchor Apple Google Podcasts Stitcher Recent episodes of Broadband Action include: ACP Adoption ChallengesDoug Dawson’s 2023 PredictionsMeet Brianna! (CBAN’s Digital Navigator)Member Spotlight-ALLO CommunicationsFCC Broadband Mapping Issues We encourage everyone to listen and subscribe to Broadband Action. More great episodes are on the way in 2023!

News release provided by ImOn, a CBAN Provider Member (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) €“ ImOn Communication, LLC (€œImOn€), Eastern Iowa’s leading fiber broadband provider, announced today that the company expanded its fiber network to 25,000 additional residential and business addresses in Eastern Iowa.   The fastest and most reliable communication service in Eastern Iowa is now available in Iowa City and Coralville, the Cedar Rapids metro area, and Dubuque.   Homes and businesses in these markets can receive high-speed Internet, video, and telephone service delivered via ImOn’s fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband network. €œI am so proud of the entire ImOn team and the work they completed in 2022,€ says Patrice Carroll, CEO of ImOn.  €œThe 2022 construction was the largest and most aggressive project the company has undertaken, and I could not be more pleased. We are all looking forward to a long future of providing Eastern Iowans with the fastest, most reliable broadband services in the market and taking care of each customer and each community in the ImOn way.€ ImOn continues to execute its ambitious growth plan. Construction projects are underway to complete Iowa City and Coralville in 2023 and to complete the Cedar Rapids metro area and Dubuque during 2023-24. Fiber-to-the-home is the fastest, most reliable method to deliver Internet service. That technology, combined with ImOn’s carrier-grade whole-home Wi-Fi solution, delivers a superior user experience to ImOn customers. ImOn’s local team of experienced customer care professionals and service technicians provides service solutions within hours vs days or weeks. High-quality services backed by superior support are why more than 98% of customers who choose ImOn, stay with ImOn. About ImOn CommunicationsImOn Communications provides high-speed broadband services to residents and businesses in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, and Dubuque, Iowa. ImOn was the first to introduce fiber-to-the-home services in Cedar Rapids in 2011 and residential gigabit service in 2015. As part of ImOn’s philosophy of supporting their communities, the company provides free community Wi-Fi service to Downtown Cedar Rapids, the McGrath Amphitheatre, Newbo City Market, the ImOn Ice Arena, and other outdoor areas near the Williams Blvd. public library and the Jane Boyd Community House. ImOn also provides free Wi-Fi at various city parks in Hiawatha, Iowa, the Iowa City Ped Mall, Riverfront Crossing Park and N. Linn Street in Iowa City, and in Dubuque at the Fighting Saints Arena, the Five Flags Center, and Bee Branch Creek Greenway. ImOn is locally headquartered and operated and offers customers tremendous value and choice for services. For more information regarding ImOn Communications, visit www.ImOn.net.

Registration is now available for the CBAN Spring Forum, to be held April 4, 2023 at Stoney Creek Hotel in Johnston, Iowa! Register When: April 4, 2023 | 1:00 pm – 6:30 pm CDTWhere: Stoney Creek Hotel | 5291 Stoney Creek Court Johnston, IA 50131As the national conversation around broadband evolves, the dialog is being increasingly framed around three pillars of success – Access, Affordability, and Adoption. Our Spring Forum is an opportunity for conversation around each of these and what they mean for you.Spring Forum Tentative Schedule1:00pm – Registration1:30pm – Session 1 – Adoption: CBAN’s Brianna Dillavou and Jon Willow offer an overview of efforts in Iowa and around the country to increase digital adoption through skills training and lowering the barriers to participating in the digital economy, including a Q&A on creating digital equity programs in your community.2:15pm – Break2:30pm – Session 2 – Access: Access: As state planning grant deadlines approach, this session addresses community and provider concerns around improving broadband access, including the status and concerns of the newly released broadband maps.3:15pm – Break3:30pm – Session 3 – Affordability: Affordable access to broadband is an essential element to achieving digital equity. In this session we will discuss programs designed to lower the economic barriers to broadband.4:15pm – Closing Remarks4:30pm – Networking Reception: Network with our fellow Forum attendees and CBAN Associate Members while enjoying snacks and beverages!FOR OUR CBAN ASSOCIATE MEMBERSYou are welcome to participate in the CBAN Spring Forum as an attendee at no charge. Or, you may choose to become an EXHIBITOR or SPONSOR of the event to help CBAN offset the costs for the Forum! Visit the event registration page for more information, or contact Curtis Dean at cdean@broadbandaction.com.

News release provided by ImOn Communications, a CBAN provider member CEDAR RAPIDS and SIOUX CITY, IA, January 12, 2023 – ImOn Communications, LLC (€œImOn€), a leading provider of fiber broadband services in Eastern Iowa since 2007, announces today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire FiberComm, pending regulatory approvals. FiberComm has been providing high quality Internet and voice services to businesses in the Sioux City market for over 20 years. ImOn was founded in 2007 as a single-market cable provider and has transformed into a regional fiber-to-the-premise platform that currently owns and operates a 2,000+ mile network that reaches over 77,000 households and businesses. The Company is committed to delivering superior network reliability, unrivaled connection speeds, and exceptional customer service. €œImOn and FiberComm share a vision to provide reliable, high-quality services and responsive, caring customer support in our respective markets,€ says Patrice Carroll, CEO of ImOn. €œWe look forward to working with FiberComm’s excellent team to build ImOn’s service footprint in the Western part of Iowa and provide fiber broadband services to both residents and businesses in the Sioux City area.€ Al Aymar, CEO of FiberComm, said, €œThe FiberComm team is excited by the opportunity ImOn brings to Sioux City. Both residents and businesses in our community will benefit greatly from the fast, reliable fiber-to-the-premise broadband services and superior level of customer care.€ImOn remains committed to completing its network expansion to all homes and businesses in Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, Iowa City, Coralville and Dubuque. The acquisition of FiberComm will be ImOn’s first expansion of its service footprint outside of Eastern Iowa. The transaction is expected to close in 2023 and is subject to obtaining customary regulatory approvals. Charlesmead Advisors, LLC, served as Exclusive Advisor to FiberComm on the transaction. ImOn was advised by Shuttleworth & Ingersoll and Morgan Lewis & Bockius. ### About ImOn Communications:Headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ImOn Communications is a leading broadband provider delivering ultra-high-speed, reliable internet, video and voice services to residential and commercial customers. ImOn’s growth and success over the past decade are thanks to its reputation for a cutting-edge network, exceptional customer service, experienced, knowledgeable, and friendly personnel, and superior products. ImOn’s philosophy is the same today as it was when the company started, to offer top quality products and services, provide the highest level of customer service, employ local people, and support the communities it serves. ImOn is headquartered and operated in Iowa and offers customers tremendous value and choice for services. For more information regarding ImOn Communications, visit www.ImOn.net.

The IAMU Broadband Conference and Expo will be held April 5-6, 2023 at Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center in Johnston. Registration is now open for attendees and vendors on the IAMU Events page. Whether your community already operates a broadband network or you are just thinking about it, this annual event is a must-attend for Iowa’s municipal broadband community! In addition to two-days of informative workshop sessions, you will also have plenty of opportunities to network with fellow utility representatives and the vendor community! Again this year, the Conference will be held in conjunction with the CBAN Spring Forum on April 4th. We encourage you to attend the event and participate in a broad discussion of digital equity issues on April 4th, then stay for the IAMU Broadband Conference and Expo. CBAN Spring Forum attendance is free for CBAN members. Not a member? Provider, Community, and Advocate membership is free! All the details on the CBAN Spring Forum are available at https://broadbandaction.com/cban-events/ A hotel block has been reserved at Stoney Creek for the nights of April 4th and 5th. Standard King rooms are $94 per night. The deadline to receive this special rate is March 10th! You can book your room by calling (515) 334-9000 or visit their online reservation portal: https://bookings.travelclick.com/109230#/guestsandrooms. The group code for IAMU is 2304IAMU.We look forward to seeing you all in April!

CBAN continues to grow! We now have over 130 members in 19 states, and 2023 is likely to be our biggest year ever!Here’s an update on new members that have joined the past few weeks! STS Broadband (Provider Member). STS Broadband is based in Hudson, Iowa and provides fixed wireless broadband service within a 5-mile radius of Hudson. They are working on expanding coverage in the area. City of Hudson, Iowa (Community Member). The City of Hudson became a municipal broadband utility in 2005 after a successful referendum. While the community has not built a broaddband network, they are currently reseraching what role the City should play in brining better broadband choices to their residents. MPW – Muscatine, IA (Provider Member). MPW has been providing broadband services to the community since 1998. As one of Iowa’s first municipal broadband utilities, MPW has been a leader in the industry for 25 years. City of Red Oak, IA (Community Member). Red Oak, a community in southwest Iowa, has been working to bring better broadband choices to residents for the past several years. 

CBAN is excited to be a reception partner sponsor for the Technology Association of Iowa’s (TAI’s) annual Legislative Launch on February 8, 2023 in Des Moines. TAI is an Advocate Member of CBAN. The Legislative Launch gives TAI members. chance to visit with Iowa legislators and discuss Iowa tech legislation.  Tickets are available for both TAI members and non-members. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Hard to believe, but at least one ISP has overstated its coverage area in order to “freeze out” other providers from possible funding for broadband expansion. As outlined at Ars Technica, a small wireless ISP in Ohio received calls from it customers saying that the new FCC broadband map was showing that cable internet was available at their location, even though that wasn’ t the case. Ryan Grewell, founder and CEO of Smart Way Communications, decided to use the broadband map appeal process to challenge the claim by cable company Jefferson County Cable.  Grewell was surprised by the response he received. As described in Ars Technica: One of Grewell’s challenges elicited a response from Jefferson County Cable executive Bob Loveridge, who apparently thought Grewell was a resident at the challenged address rather than a competitor.”You challenged that we do not have service at your residence and indeed we don’t today,” Loveridge wrote in a January 9 email that Grewell shared with Ars. “With our huge investment in upgrading our service to provide xgpon we reported to the BDC [Broadband Data Collection] that we have service at your residence so that they would not allocate addition [sic] broadband expansion money over [the] top of our private investment in our plant.” Sometimes when companies say the quiet things out loud, it reminds us that, under the current regime, America’s broadband map process is based on good-faith reporting by ISP’s.  And sometimes that’s just not what happens.

The CBAN team is excited to welcome GRM Networks to our growing list of members! GRM Networks is a member owned cooperative that provides communication services to customers located within a 4,500 square mile area that covers 44 exchanges in Northern Missouri and Southern Iowa.GRM Networks is dedicated to delivering reliable, advanced communications technology while providing an exceptional customer experience. GRM Networks is committed to promoting and investing in its local communities. LTC Networks and SCC Networks are subsidiaries of GRM Networks and cover an additional four exchanges in Iowa and Missouri.

3/4’s of the CBAN team soak in 80+ degree weather upon arrival in San Antonio The CBAN team is in San Antonio this week for the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) Net Inclusion 2023.  CBAN is one of 18 national cohorts under the NDIA’s Digital Navigator pilot program, funded by Google.org. The day-long training on Monday was exclusively for members of these programs. The actual conference began on Tuesday, wiht over 800 attendees. CBAN’s Bri Dillavou, Jon Anne Willow, Todd Kielkopf, and Curtis Dean are making great contacts with people and organizations across America who are working to achieve digital inclusion. The conference concludes Thursday. We will have a complete report on Net Inclusion in next week’s edition of Broadband Bytes!