Zayo Group is once again in acquisition mode, this time announcing that it has agreed to acquire the half of USCarrier Telecom, LLC it doesn’t already own. Zayo will pay $13.5 million in cash to complete the acquisition.

Zayo initially acquired approximately 50% of the company when it bought American Fiber Systems in October 2010 (see "Zayo Group to acquire American Fiber Systems").

USCarrier is a regional fiber-based bandwidth services provider that operates in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee. Its 3,700-mile fiber network connects cities such as Atlanta, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Nashville, and Chattanooga, as well as 40 smaller cities in the Southeast U.S. The company offers Ethernet and wavelength services.

"Extending the reach of Zayo's network with USCarrier's footprint allows us to offer broader solutions to our customers as well as deliver end-to-end national and international connectivity to these markets," says Glenn Russo, executive vice president for corporate strategy and development for Zayo Group. "The transport services that USCarrier provides fit well with Zayo's focus on core high-bandwidth services."

The transaction is subject to customary approvals and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2012.