Building Broadband: Alaska Communications completes Northstar submarine cable upgrades; BAM Broadband expands into Tempe, Ariz.

Alaska Communications completes Northstar submarine cable upgrades
Alaska Communications has completed network upgrades extending the life of Northstar, one of Alaska’s key submarine cable links. The service provider owns and operates two submarine cables connecting Alaska with the contiguous United States: Northstar and AKORN. This upgrade included replacing Northstar’s power feed equipment (PFE) units in three locations across Alaska and Oregon with new hardware. Alaska Communications continues to invest in its network.

BAM Broadband expands into Tempe, Ariz.
BAM Broadband, an internet service provider operating in Colorado and Arizona, is expanding into Tempe, AZ. Tempe marks BAM’s second fiber market in the Grand Canyon State, in addition to Scottsdale, AZ. It also provides broadband service throughout the state through its fixed wireless networks. The provider began engineering work on its Tempe fiber construction project earlier this year. Work is already underway to complete BAM’s tie into Tempe, and construction into the first set of neighborhoods is scheduled to start in the coming weeks. The project will continue through 2026, ultimately bringing fiber internet to tens of thousands of additional homes, businesses, and multi-dwelling units. BAM said the first homes reached during initial construction are expected to be service-ready by the first quarter of 2026, if not sooner. Its growth in Tempe is part of its broader expansion across Arizona and Colorado, including ongoing builds in the Scottsdale and South Denver Metro areas, including Parker, as well as Douglas and Jefferson County. Through the end of 2025 and beyond, BAM also expects to announce additional markets in both states.

Brightspeed secures $1.65B in funding
Brightspeed has priced an offering of $1.65 billion in capital to continue its ongoing fiber network buildout. This transaction follows a $575 million bond offering priced in June and $3.7 billion raised in August 2024, increasing fiber expansion capital to $5.9 billion. These investments will support Brightspeed’s accelerated build program to reach more than five million homes and businesses with its fiber network across its 20-state footprint. In just a few years, the company has passed more than 2.3 million premises with fiber, scaling to a build rate of one million new fiber locations annually while keeping build-out costs in check.

Dobson Fiber commits to fiber internet expansion in Ada, Oklahoma
Dobson Fiber is extending its fiber network reach in Ada, Oklahoma. Construction of the network will be completed in geographic zones. Once each zone is nearing completion, residents will be notified when they can begin to sign up for service. Today, Dobson Fiber’s network includes more than 45 communities across a wide geographic area in Oklahoma and five diverse communities in Arkansas. Dobson Fiber will deliver up to 10 Gbps to residents and 100 Gbps to businesses with the lowest latency in their footprint by leveraging Dobson’s optical middle-mile network.

Ripple Fiber lights fiber for over 12K homes in Midland, Michigan
Ripple Fiber, a Charlotte-based provider of high-speed fiber internet, has launched service in Midland, Michigan, reaching over 12,000 homes in areas such as Maryland Park, Dartmouth Park, and Greenfield Park. Eligible customers will be able to get up to 10 Gbps speeds. Ripple Fiber offers Price for Life on the multigigabit package options, with 1 Gbps and 2 Gbps priced competitively. After it opens its newest retail office in neighboring Saginaw, residents will be supported by a locally based team, providing an enhanced customer experience before, during, and after service installation.

TDS breaks ground on rural Dane County, Wisconsin, fiber projects
TDS Telecommunications has begun construction on a central Dane County, Wisconsin rural internet upgrade project with a recent ceremonial groundbreaking in Black Earth, Wisconsin. The company’s build will deliver at least 100 Mbps internet to more than 5,500 rural addresses located in communities across Dane County, including Black Earth, Cross Plains, Middleton, Mt. Vernon, and Verona. The nearly $15 million project comes thanks to TDS investment and the FCC's Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model program (E-ACAM). E-ACAM is a multi-year program that provides funding to deploy and support 100/20 Mbps or faster broadband service to some of the most rural geographies in TDS's footprint. TDS is participating in the E-ACAM program to help bridge the digital divide in 23 states. Services will become available to customers in phases as construction progresses. 

United Communications enables 40,000th broadband customer in Middle Tennessee
United Communications has connected its 40,000th broadband customer, Susan Hall of Smyrna, Tennessee. Susan Hall, who recently relocated to the area, shared that securing fast, reliable internet was a top priority as she settled into her new home. After reaching the milestone of 100,000 total locations served earlier this year, United continued investing in high-speed infrastructure by expanding its 8 Gbps internet service to several communities, including Smyrna.