The UTOPIA Fiber Demonstration Center in Murray, Utah. Harrison Edwards is pleased to welcome UTOPIA Fiber to its family of clients. Based in Salt Lake City, UTOPIA is the nation's largest Open Access fiber network offering business services in 50 cities and providing a fiber-to-the-home network in 14. Since 2015, UTOPIA has doubled its number of subscribers and has partnered with a long list of communities. Earlier this year, UTOPIA announced it was crossing state lines to b

In this morning's news, it was reported that a market disruptor, new to the fiber-broadband space, was experiencing financial troubles. While it's difficult to receive news like this--some of their talented employees are friends--it's important to remember that deploying a fiber-broadband network is a sophisticated process, honed by professionals with years of experience. America's leading fiber-broadband professionals have connected millions of people in America’s urban, sub

One of the nation's hottest regions for fiber-broadband deployment is the midwest. The Great Lakes region is home to exciting fiber projects ranging from county-wide deployments in Ohio, to city-wide deployments in Michigan, and a renewed statewide plan in Illinois. It's why Harrison Edwards is this year's media sponsor of Great Lakes Connect Broadband Development Conference, September 30-October 2 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Our Executive VP of Broadband, Bob Knight, will mod

L-R: Kelly Ryan, CEO, iFIBER Communications; Hon. Carol Carter, Mayor, Village of Seville, Ohio; Dave Corrado, CEO, Medina County Fiber Network; Brian Snider, CEO, Lit Communities; and James Cowan, Founder, Docity at the Medina Fiber kickoff April 2, 2019. (HEPR Photo) Officials in Medina County, Ohio have selected Lit Communities to oversee an aggressive plan to bring fiber to every home in the count.y. Lit will oversee the design, deployment, and financing of Medina's first

We were delighted to learn this week of a recent CoStar study pointing to an increase in property value when a commercial building has fiber connectivity. The study, that was mentioned at a recent Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) meeting in White Plains, New York, compared data from buildings that had fiber connectivity with those with out. The CoStar team reports a 7% increase in property value among commercial buildings with fiber connectivity. Fiber networks

I was asked last week to testify before the Energy and Technology Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly in support of Senate Bill 846 that clarifies Connecticut's long-standing Municipal Gain statute, adds language regarding municipal broadband deployments, and bolsters policies surrounding utility pole attachments. Sexy stuff! In Connecticut, where my family and I reside, our state has a unique statute allowing municipal government to use allotted space on utility po

Are 2019 and 2020 game-changing years for community broadband deployment? All signs point to "YES!" New funding mechanism for Open Access networks are hitting the market now, opening up economic and community development opportunities for municipalities throughout America. Bob Knight, EVP, Broadband and Chief Operating Office of Harrison Edwards will moderate "Tipping Point: The Disruptive Model That's Bringing Funding and Fiber to American Communities" on Tuesday, April 9 at

Ah, autumn in New England. Those colors. That crisp air. The robust dialogue about widespread broadband and small cell / 5G deployment! It all happens Thursday, November 8, 2018 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Connecticut at New England Connect, a day-long regional conference on ensuring fast, reliable broadband internet for all.. The conference will examine how Connecticut's mayors have successfully deployed fiber in their communities, and how they are readyi

This week, Harrison Edwards' Executive VP for Broadband, Bob Knight, appeared on the national Community Broadband Bits Podcast to discuss the ever-important topic of political will and fiber projects. Bob and Deb Socia, Executive Director of Next Century Cities, were interviewed by ILSR's Christopher Mitchell on the importance of community engagement and how having political will helps drive broadband projects forward. At September's Great Lakes Connect broadband conference,

One of our favorite events of the year is Broadband Communities Magazine's annual Economic Development Conference, being held this week in Ontario, California. Several hundred local officials and industry experts convene to parse through how communities can successfully forge ahead with fiber projects. Bob Knight, Executive VP & COO of Harrison Edwards, will be speaking on three panels pertaining to building political will/project funding, telehealth, and real estate developm

Southern California, known for endless sunshine, laid-back lifestyle, and a dash of smog, is home to this year's Broadband Communities Magazine Economic Development Summit. Municipal officials, broadband-industry veterans, vendors, and consultants will convene this year in Ontario, California, October 23-25. Why Ontario? California's Inland Empire has enjoyed steady population growth. To help prepare for the future, Ontario leaders have taken action to deploy fiber for gigabi

The broadband industry will convene this week in Fairlawn, Ohio for Great Lakes Connect (GLC). GLC is the first major broadband industry conference from spanning from Wisconsin to Ohio and has attracted economic development, municipal, and other industry leaders in the Midwest and across the United States. Fairlawn is home to one of the nation's new gigabit-speed fiber network that is off to a successful start. Over 200 are expected to attend the inaugural GLC event, which is

Bob Knight, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Harrison Edwards, Inc. announced today that the firm has signed on as a sponsor of Great Lakes Connect Broadband Development Conference. Great Lakes Connect will bring together industry and civic leaders from communities throughout the Midwest, a region where municipal gigabit-speed broadband deployment is catching on quickly. This year's inaugural Great Lakes Connect is produced by the same team as Mountain Co

Pittsburgh's stunning skyline After a morning of summer air travel (ugh!), Carolyn and I are back in the office, fully energized by what we absorbed at Next Century Cities' (NCC) Regional Broadband Summit in Pittsburgh. NCC masterfully crafted an agenda that covered everything from federal and state-level policy, to digital inclusion, 5G deployment, and the financing new broadband networks. We've returned with some interesting takeaways: Tom Coverick, Keybanc Capital Markets

Harrison Edwards Strategic Communications is working with the City of Los Angeles to advance the city’s high-speed broadband footprint. “Even the nation’s second-largest city has its share of connectivity challenges,” says Carolyn B. Mandelker, CEO, Harrison Edwards. The firm will consult regarding stakeholder engagement and project funding, similar to the work the Armonk, New York-based company completed recently in southern Illinois. Earlier in June, Harrison Edwards presen

Today at Mountain Connect, the Colorado-based broadband industry conference, Bob Knight, executive VP and COO of Harrison Edwards moderated and participated in the panel "How to Get to a GO Decision for a Community Network." The session included economists, Open Access Network experts, demand aggregation/take rate experts, and venture capital professionals. Click here for a copy of Bob's presentation. Reach out to Bob directly with questions here. #Internet #EconomicDevelopme

Harrison Edwards team members will be facilitating work groups on October 9th at the Broadband Impact Symposium in Highland, Illinois. The symposium will bring together business leaders, community members, government officials, nonprofit agencies, and anchor institutions to identify ways to grow the city's economy on top of Highland's new gigabit-speed fiber network. Also attending the symposium will be dozens of officials throughout the State of Illinois and leaders from the

Bob Knight, Harrison Edwards' Executive VP, Digital and Chief Operating Officer, has been tapped to moderate "City Solutions: Networks & Data," at the Smart Cities Connect Conference & Expo on June 26, 2017, at the Austin Convention Center, Austin, Texas. The fast-moving session features major technology companies presenting to a panel of global city officials. According to Bob, the session is a great opportunity for municipal officials to learn what makes each technology pla