Broadband Community Magazine – Cable MSOs, which have focused on upgrading existing infrastructure, may have a competitive advantage in overcoming local and state permitting obstacles to expand broadband availability.

Is fiber the future? Don’t get me wrong – most cable operators would agree that a fiber transition is coming. But with the federal government’s urge to swiftly deliver better broadband to unserved and underserved communities and $42.5 billion in funding from the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program at stake, multiple system operators (MSOs) are choosing to provide the best broadband experience to their customers in the most economically viable, sustainable ways possible.

Doing that requires upgrades to the current infrastructure – which doesn’t require digging up a front yard. Local and state obstacles, such as permitting, exist for both MSOs and fiber operators. But when it comes to the types of permits, costs and time frames, MSOs have a competitive advantage.

Permits for upgrading existing infrastructure are quicker to get than those for new builds. MSOs can rapidly upgrade existing HFC networks by deploying enhanced DOCSIS 3.1 that meets FCC and state broadband requirements for subscribers […]

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