While the application by XO Holdings (news, filings) caught my eye first, there are a number of metro and regional fiber companies in the sector who have applied for stimulus funding for middle mile projects. Some won funding in the first round and are going back for more, others are in the pool for the first time. Here is a sampling that include companies often covered on this website:
American Fiber Systems has no less than four projects in mind this time, each of which would have them reaching further out from metro areas they already serve. Specifically, that would be near Boise, Nashville, Minneapolis, and Kansas City.
KDL, which already specializes in loops through less traveled locations, is looking to help out on the fringes of its coverage area. The projects include two in Arkansas and one in Missouri, both areas where they have been interested in expanding to for some time.
Citynet is proposing a middle mile project in West Virginia covering some 600 route miles. They had proposed something similar in the last round, but having been unsuccessful they have tweaked the proposal and come back for a second try.
Fibertech is part of a project with Syracuse MetroNet in Upstate New York which would hook up communities in Oswego county.
FPL Fibernet has entered the fray in a partnership with the Miami-Dade Broadband coalition to hook up the under-served in, unsurprisingly, Miami-Dade county.
itcd is back in the hunt after its success in round 1. This time they are proposing a fiber route between Birmingham and Dallas along Interstate 20 that will pass through various under-served areas.
Lightyear made a surprise (for me) appearance in this round with a proposal for rural Kentucky. The 907 miles of fiber would pass through some 26 counties in the central and eastern portions of the state.
Pinpoint has retooled its middle mile proposals for rural Nebraska, with a round 2 application of greater scope than its first attempt in round 1.
And finally (alphabetically speaking), Zayo is also back for more, this time up in Anoka County to the northwest of Minneapolis. The new network would consist of three rings covering some 286 route miles.
There are more of course, you can search here.
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Categories: Government Regulations · Metro fiber
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Rob, that was a great piece of reporting! Thanks.