3 minute read
C-SUITE CONVO
UP TO SPEED BY VICKY JANOWSKI
FOCUS BROADBAND, FORMERLY CALLED ATMC, IS A MEMBER-OWNED COOPERATIVE PROVIDING COMMUNICATION SERVICES. WHILE IT IS BASED IN SHALLOTTE, IT OPERATES IN COUNTIES BEYOND BRUNSWICK’S BORDERS.
CEO Keith Holden has worked with the company since 1998, including previously as vice president of information systems. He’s led the cooperative’s efforts to connect underserved rural communities with new or faster internet service.
Below is a recent Q&A with Holden. To read more, go to wilmingtonbizmagazine.com.
AT THE END OF 2021, ATMC – WHICH FORMED IN 1955 – ANNOUNCED ITS NAME CHANGE TO FOCUS BROADBAND. WHAT DID THE SHIFT MEAN FOR THE MEMBER-OWNED COOPERATIVE, AND WHAT ARE THOSE AREAS OF FOCUS NOW? “The catalyst for rebranding is really a result of changes to our industry. Home telephone and cable TV are nearing the end of their product cycle and have been replaced by the importance of internet. So our change from ATMC to FOCUS Broadband was made to better reflect our company’s evolution from a traditional telephone and cable TV provider to one that specializes in providing high-speed internet. We’re still a local company with awardwinning customer service, and that will always be our first priority, but we are building a world-class communications infrastructure too.”
KEITH HOLDEN
CEO & GENERAL MANAGER
FOCUS Broadband
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGER FIBER OPTIC PROJECTS FOCUS IS WORKING ON NOW IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY? “Late last year, we announced a $100 million-dollar, multiyear project to convert the copper and coaxial networks in Brunswick County’s service area to a new 100% fiber optic network. This new network will eventually provide every Brunswick County customer with access to multigigabit speeds. We’ve already begun upgrading many areas near Seaside and Calabash, and additional areas will be upgraded early next year. Our ultimate goal is to serve all of our customers with fiber optics, but that won’t happen overnight …
We also recently completed a three-year project to provide fiber optic broadband to more than 3,500 homes in Boiling Spring Lakes. Boiling Springs Lakes was the latest area where we upgraded older copper facility with fiber optics. In the last five years, we’ve completed fiber optic projects in Oak Island, Holden Beach, St. James and Ocean Isle Beach. We’ve also brought fiber optics to the county’s key business districts, such as Leland, Belville and Shallotte, and will be working to do the same in Calabash later this year and early next.”
THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE INVESTED MONEY IN RECENT YEARS TOWARD COMPETITIVE GRANTS FOR PROVIDERS TO PUSH FOR MORE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACCESS. HAS FOCUS TAPPED INTO THOSE GRANTS? WHERE ARE YOU SEEING THE GREATEST NEED TO BRIDGE THIS “DIGITAL DIVIDE”? “Absolutely, FOCUS Broadband has worked very hard over the last three years to leverage both state and federal grants to expand our network to unserved and underserved communities …
Collectively, these grants will allow us to serve as many as 30,000 additional households who desperately need access to high-speed internet. Our mission is to serve the unserved, and we’re able to accomplish that through the grant funding we’ve received …
We have been fortunate to work closely with so many counties in Eastern North Carolina to help close the digital divide.
Many of these counties, even in 2022, have vast areas without access to high-speed internet. And when the pandemic hit, this lack of access made educating children remotely or working at home impossible for many.
We had a number of counties reach out to us for help, and when we did, we went to work assisting them with putting together Digital Inclusion Plans, which allow them to better determine unserved areas and outline ways to reach those that are not connected. Educating communities about the importance of internet is critical, offering programs like the Affordable Connectivity Program, and working alongside community leaders to advocate for digital inclusion are all equally important once the infrastructure is in place.”