Rumor: Management Shake-Up at Broadweave
Word around the campfire is that EsNet isn’t very happy with how Broadweave is doing and plans to find a new operations manager as part of taking a more active role in the company. I’ve confirmed with with two sources, so it seems pretty solid. One of the sources claims that CEO Steve Christensen may be out of a job as part of the reorganization. It’s good to hear that EsNet is trying to fix what’s broken but will it be enough to right the ship? There haven’t been any reports of it so far, but I’m willing to bet that Broadweave made their bond payment from the reserve fund yet again and is on-track to do so next month.
UTOPIA Open House in Brigham City This Friday
UTOPIA will be holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house this Friday February 20th to officially open Brigham City. The event will take place from 1PM to 3:30PM at 100 N 600 W. The rumor mill says that a new provider may be announced at this meeting.
Centerville Inches Closer to RDA-Funded Fiber Hub Despite SB205 Threat
Centerville is getting closer to using RDA money to build a fiber hub in the city even as the threat of Sen. Bramble’s RDA amendments loom. The city council was unanimuous in voting to draft final documents to make it all happen. Once built, it would rescue about $2M worth of “stranded investment” at a cost of around $100K.
Sen. Bramble’s boxcar legislation for the changes, SB205, may contain provisions that would allow such carrier-neutral infrastructure to be built with RDA money, but there’s still a very strong chance that the provision would be nixed and telecom spending banned outright. You’d better contact your state senators and representatives to make them aware of what’s coming.
UPDATE: The Standard-Examiner has more on the story.
UTOPIA Mobile Home Spotted in Brigham City
Commenter Dave has noted that he has seen UTOPIA’s mobile home cruising the streets of Brigham City. From what I’ve heard, this is being used as a mobile office to provide local demonstrations and provide local support ahead of any marketing efforts. Don’t know if they were passing through for gas on their way to Tremonton or if it means that service in Brigham is right around the corner. Your best bet is to call up UTOPIA or one of its providers to find out if service is available to you.
Is the wait over in Layton? UTOPIA service may be available!
Forum commenter mabuxton reports that they’re getting UTOPIA installed at their Layton home in just two weeks. XMission and two other providers (I’m guessing FuzeCore and Nuvont) are reportedly going to have residential service available in the area and you can sign up for the install right now. If you’ve been waiting with baited breath to get UTOPIA service in the city, now is the time to call!
Is Frontier Blowing Smoke on LNP?
After posting that Frontier Communications was giving competing telcos a hard time with porting numbers, commenter Aaron Wilcox, the Utah Account Manager for Frontier, advised that Frontier would be more than happy to port numbers given the proper paperwork was filed with the Utah Public Services Commission. At least one service provider called bunk on that claim citing that under current telecommunications law, the Utah PSC doesn’t issue the Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity that Aaron refers to if the service area in question has less than 5,000 lines. Documents I received from the PSC indicated that they suspended LNP waivers for rural telecoms, but those documents only reference wireline-to-wireless transfers, not wireline-to-wireline.
So which is it? Can customers in Tremonton port their numbers or does Frontier have those numbers permanently locked down? Is the suspension of the wavier a boon only to wireless companies? Could customers get their phone number to a UTOPIA provider by transferring to a wireless carrier and then porting the number again? It sounds like Frontier has been taking advantage of the current regulatory structure and resulting confusion to keep customers locked into their service.
Nuvont's Not Going Anywhere
I just spoke with a rep from Nuvont who clarified what’s going on with them. The short version is that I got only half the story and Nuvont is doing just fine.
The terminal adapter surplus was from a canceled order, but it was canceled because the product had been ordered but not delivered. Both Nuvont and the supplier came to mututally-agreeable terms to cancel and refund the undelivered shipment. Apparently the supplier then selling the leftovers either didn’t get the story straight or injected some of their own conjecture into the conversation.
Nuvont also said that they have found themselves unable to offer phone service in Tremonton just yet, but they still offer phone service in other markets. The problem is with getting available numbers from Frontier Communications, the local incumbent. This is in addition to Frontier’s refusal to port numbers for existing customers.
So there you have it. Nuvont is doing just fine.
UTOPIA Trucks Spotted in Brigham City; Is Service on the Way?
Commenter Dave noted that he has recently seen UTOPIA trucks driving around in downtown Brigham City. There’s not much indication as to what they were doing, but we do know that UTOPIA installed a fair amount of fiber backbone in the city before halting construction last spring. Tremonton saw sales crews about a month after the trucks were spotted up there splicing. As the ground thaws, we may yet see fiber service deployed in the city. Keep your eyes peeled for the door-to-door sales team.
Wither Nuvont? Canceled Orders, Lost Customers Point to Trouble
Rumors are afoot that Nuvont Communications may be closing shop. My sources tell me that they recently canceled a large order of phone terminal adapters citing to the suppliers that they no longer planned to be in business. Service providers have also reported picking up Nuvont phone customers who claim they were told that Nuvont did not plan to offer phone service any longer. I’ve heard that company principals have denied the rumors, but I haven’t been able to get any specific responses to the evidence that’s popped up. It seems confusing given the press release several weeks ago reaffirming Nuvont as a provider on the network.
Any Nuvont customers have similar experiences? Any Nuvont employees want to clarify what’s going on?
UPDATE: A rep from Nuvont contacted me and set the story straight.
Revolt in Traverse Mountain? New Management May Boot Broadweave
A post at the Traverse Mountain Community Forum reveals that a recent change in mangement with Mountain Home Development Group has the Christensens out of management positions. The new management discussed issues with Broadweave at length including, in the commentor’s summary, the continued lack of video, pricing disparities, poor phone service, poor customer service, and potential contract violations. Residents in the master-planned community are obligated to pay $75/mo for phone and Internet services, but it’s unclear as to what speeds or services are being provided. Many are worried that they signed up for long-term contracts with DirecTV or Dish Network and could be obligated to pay for both services if/when Broadweave rolls out video.
The subtext seems pretty clear: the new management is pretty ticked off at Broadweave and wants them to shape up or ship out. Without the family connection protecting them from enforcing provisions of the contract, Broadweave may be on thin ice.