Internet FTTH Transformation

Wideband Group was recommended to a regional Wireless Internet Service Provider, to guide the strategic transition from wireless to a full Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network. The engagement began with comprehensive feasibility studies, including high-level network design, market analysis, and detailed cost and revenue projections. These analyses equipped ownership with the data necessary to confidently pivot the business model toward fiber infrastructure.
Wideband built, managed, and completed FTTH networks for three lake communities, providing fiber access to over 2,000 homes and businesses.  The scope included right-of-way permitting at both local and state levels, creation of a complete Bill of Materials, and management of all outside plant (OSP) construction activities, including node construction and upstream interconnection coordination.
A critical component of the project was Wideband’s sole leadership in securing Joint Use Pole Attachment Agreements with two separate utilities.  Through detailed make-ready analysis and negotiation, Wideband successfully reduced projected joint-use make-ready costs by 88%, materially improving the project’s financial viability and accelerating deployment timelines.

FTTH Launch & Grant Success

Wideband Group was engaged by an experienced OSP contractor to lead the launch of a new FTTH service provider created to address significant broadband gaps in their local community. Wideband guided the selection of headend equipment, vendors, and core network architecture while evaluating the financial feasibility of proposed service areas.
Upon determining that unsubsidized deployment was not viable, Wideband identified the State of Michigan CMIC grant program, authored the grant application, and successfully secured $2.3 million in funding. To further strengthen the business case, Wideband directed negotiations with a regional school district, resulting in an IRU agreement for excess district fiber capacity.
Wideband also led efforts to secure Competitive Access Provider status with the Michigan Public Service Commission, negotiated a Joint Use Pole Attachment Agreement with Detroit Edison, and contracted a network management firm to support launch operations. 

Gratiot County Rural Broadband Strategy

Gratiot County selected Wideband Group as its Rural Broadband Project Advisor to develop a viable path forward for serving underserved residents. The engagement began with a detailed analysis of existing State of Michigan data and FCC Fabric maps, which revealed that broadband coverage throughout the county was significantly overstated by incumbent providers.
Wideband facilitated collaborative discussions between the Board of Commissioners and local service providers, establishing open communication channels and aligning stakeholders around a shared understanding of the problem. Following Wideband’s findings, the State of Michigan was formally notified, triggering a reclassification of substantial portions of the county as underserved.
This reclassification repositioned Gratiot County for competitive broadband funding opportunities that had previously been unavailable, laying the groundwork for future fiber investment and deployment.

Huntington Park Broadband Grant Award

Wideband Group partnered with a local network managed services provider to assist the City of Huntington Park, California with preparation and submission of a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) broadband grant application. Wideband was brought onto the project just two weeks prior to the submission deadline and assumed full responsibility for design strategy, cost modeling, and application support.
Wideband, along with its CAD partner, created a high-level design of the network. Wideband then researched mandatory labor rates, current material costs, and competitor benchmarks to construct detailed budgets, Bills of Materials, deployment timelines, and pro forma financial models. The team also supported application responses and follow-up inquiries from CPUC reviewers, ensuring data accuracy and defensibility throughout the process.
The result was a $25.3 million CPUC broadband grant award to the City of Huntington Park, enabling a major expansion of high-speed internet access for residents and businesses.
Source: ABC7 News

St. Clair County Broadband Validation & Advocacy

St. Clair County faced widespread gaps in broadband availability, with large portions of the county either completely unserved or inaccurately reported as served. Wideband Group was engaged to help select townships qualify for upcoming state broadband grant programs by correcting coverage data and validating underserved locations.
Wideband designed and procured a custom broadband validation application integrated with Ookla data to accurately identify and document underserved homes and businesses. The data-driven campaign was highly successful at the township, county, and state levels, creating defensible evidence to support grant eligibility.
At the completion of the surveys,  Wideband actively advocated on behalf of St. Clair County townships, working with state officials to block an RDOF award to Mercury Broadband that would have further delayed meaningful fiber deployment, and exclude the many of the areas in St.Clair County from future grant opportunities. Wideband recognized the fact that the extent and financial assumptions made by Mercury Broadband were not feasible, and although the effort did not block the award, Mercury eventually defaulted on many awarded areas.   

Legacy Network Management

In the mid-2000s, a non-profit built a county-wide FTTH backbone network to boost economic growth. While the ethernet and dark fiber network performed well, poor documentation made it increasingly difficult to track routing as more connections and repairs were added over time. The management company asked Wideband Group to organize and standardize the network’s documentation. Wideband conducted field analysis, used ESRI GIS (converted to KML) for standardized mapping, entered data for over 100 splice enclosures through auditing and non-disruptive light tests, and implemented a consistent charting format for the entire network.