We created this map showing the California RDOF Gigabit and 100 megabit service deployment from the publicly available data at the FCC released today. Etheric (green) has been assigned the mountainous central and Northern Pacific coastal counties largely.
RDOF awards will help Etheric Networks bring broadband to underserved communities in California
This year Etheric Networks has taken several major steps towards a transformative expansion of our company. In the spring we applied for California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) grants for underserved communities in Monterey and San Benito Counties.
In the summer we secured spectrum on the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band for Monterey, San Benito and nine other Northern California counties.
This fall saw us competing with nearly 400 other providers in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction. The auction results were released today, and Etheric will receive over $248M in funding over the next 10 years to deploy high-speed broadband to over 64 thousand locations in California.
These funds will provide us with unprecedented capital resources to expand and provide high-quality Internet to California’s rural areas, furthering our mission to serve the under-represented population segments of our state.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said: “I’m thrilled with the incredible success of this auction, which brings welcome news to millions of unconnected rural Americans who for too long have been on the wrong side of the digital divide. They now stand to gain access to high-speed, high-quality broadband service… This auction was the single largest step ever taken to bridge the digital divide and is another key success for the Commission in its ongoing commitment to universal service.”
Since 2003, Etheric has been committed to providing high-quality Internet service by investing capital into innovative technology that enables, supports and continuously improves connectivity for our customers. We will leverage our new-found technology muscle and sources of funding to realize a transformational change that not only results in our achieving significant commercial success, but also fulfills our commitment to a socially responsible mission.
Our purpose as a firm is to help create positive, enduring change
Today’s news marks a new chapter for Etheric, and we invite you, our valued customers and friends, along for the ride. We wish to partner with individuals, organizations and communities to create the synergy necessary to fulfill our mission and become valued shareholders in a commercial enterprise that is positioned for explosive growth.
Through this arrangement, we would share our innovative commercial projects and, most importantly, include your knowledge and experience as advisors to help steward our rapid commercial growth.
We are looking forward to this exciting journey. If this is of interest to you, kindly contact us so we can begin the process.
Alexander Hagen – CEO/Founder
Full FCC Press Release
About Etheric/Our Team
The 2020 CBRS auction opened the door for smaller internet providers to add licensed spectrum to their offerings. Join Etheric CEO Alexander Hagen and the Broadband Bunch team for a deep dive into this new marketplace and what it means for WISPs in particular.
Etheric Networks CEO, Alexander Hagen was interviewed recently by Fierce Wireless’ editor-in-chief, Linda Hardesty about CBRS spectrum aquisitions. Etheric Networks secured 21 spectrum licenses to build out new high-speed fixed wireless network infrastructure across seven Bay Area counties.
Etheric Networks supports early wildfire detection efforts through the installation of cameras on its new tower in San Ramon
Etheric Networks, the leading provider of wireless internet service in the Bay Area, today announced it has partnered with ALERTWildfire to provide free access to its newest tower in San Ramon. Live images are available to emergency dispatchers and to the public at alertwildfire.org.
Etheric’s San Ramon tower with Alert Wildfire Camera installed.
Ahead of the looming fire season, Etheric Networks, realizes the importance of helping local and bi-state efforts to detect wildfires soon after they start. As of January 2020, ALERTWildfire has installed 13 state-of-the-art Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras in the North Bay, with a goal of installing 200 new cameras statewide in 2020.
• University consortium taps state and local businesses – A consortium of universities, including the University of Nevada, Reno, University of California, San Diego and University of Oregon are working together through ALERTWildfire to install fire cameras and provide associated tools to help firefighters and first responders.
• Using technology to detecting a wildfire before it spreads – The cameras are able to detect wildfires soon after they start and when installed in a location with a 360° view, the near-infrared sensors can spot the signature of heat on up to 5,000 square miles, and up to 20,000 square miles at night. A supercomputer attached to the network of cameras models the fire’s spread in 30 seconds, predicting where it will burn over the next several hours.
• Taking advantage of existing infrastructure – One of two newest additions to its growing network, Etheric’s tower in San Ramon will be part of the initiative to install dozens of fire cameras around the state. Etheric’s 30+ towers provide wireless internet to the Bay Area and are working with emergency teams to identify additional locations for these “digital forest rangers.”
John Cornell, Emergency Preparedness Director, City of Lafayette Police Department, said: “The damage that fire can do and the speed it can spread make early detection efforts critical. Our goal is to build partnerships that will support first responders and alert neighborhoods. Sponsorships and partners that provide camera locations, like Etheric Networks, help our grant money go so much further, and we are grateful for their assistance.”
Alexander Hagen, CEO, Etheric Networks, said: “We are proud to be able to help this consortium with its efforts to ensure that wildfires are quickly and efficiently identified, mitigated and tracked. As we move into fire season, it is more important than ever that those of us that have the infrastructure to support such an effort do so, without cost and through concerted collaboration. We are thrilled to be able to help this effort today and, in the future, and encourage other tower owners in the Bay Area to join us.”
The ALERTWildfire team can assist in building fire camera infrastructure from the ground up, and/or use existing infrastructure to rapidly deploy a system in just a few months. For more information, please contact John Cornell at jcornell@ci.lafayette.ca.us.
Field Technician, Shannon Jolin, on the Mt. Madonna tower.
Expanded service areas deliver high-speed wireless internet to meet rising demand for reliable home connections and dedicated community networks
SAN MATEO, CA, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ — Etheric Networks, the leading provider of wireless internet service in the Bay Area, today announced the purchase of the Mt. Madonna communications tower in Gilroy and the addition of new towers in Gilroy and San Ramon. This expansion brings significant new internet options to thousands more Bay Area businesses and residences and strengthens Etheric’s ability to support robust private community networks.
Shelter-in-place restrictions have forced businesses, schools and social groups to work, learn and build community in new ways, most of them online. Many of these changes could be permanent, making access to reliable internet an even more critical part of our infrastructure. Today’s news furthers Etheric’s goal of reaching 90 percent of Bay Area households and businesses with 99.999% reliability to meet this need.
MT. MADONNA ACQUISITION YEARS IN THE MAKING – In 2004, in response to repeated requests from South County residents for fixed wireless service to their remote area, Etheric partnered with the residents to lease the 1400’ tall KSBW tower on Mt. Madonna in Gilroy, and the company’s first wireless services began in 2005. When the tower faced demolition in 2007, Etheric once again turned to its customers to crowd-source its purchase, finalized in 2009. Etheric has now paid back all of its investors, and Mt Madonna continues to be the flagship of Etheric’s fleet of 35+ towers that provide high-speed wireless internet to most of the Bay Area, including hard-to-reach mountain and rural communities.
NEW TOWERS EXPAND SERVICE IN KEY REGIONS – The two newest additions to the Etheric fleet were lit in the first quarter of 2020. Providing service to residences and business to the San Ramon and Gilroy/San Martin areas, these towers continue Etheric’s goal of reaching communities that are underserved by traditional internet providers. Additionally, the new Gilroy tower is Etheric’s first to be entirely energy independent, with solar power to ensure that internet service is not interrupted by power outages.
MEETING NEW DEMANDS FOR PRIVATE COMMUNITY NETWORKS – Already an emerging trend, interest in creating communication hubs to provide needed bandwidth to those working and learning from home has increased significantly in recent weeks. Etheric’s dedicated fiber backbone and one-hop peering connections to all major Bay Area data centers, combined with its robust wireless broadband capabilities allows the company to rapidly deploy community-wide solutions that can offer significant savings for members.
Alexander Hagen, CEO, Etheric Networks, said: “These are extraordinary times, as households and organizations struggle to obtain reliable broadband access for working and learning from home. We are seeing an incredible demand, and our investment in new infrastructure could not have come at a better time. Etheric was founded by bringing our customers together, and we are dedicated to continuing this legacy as we explore new ways to provide powerful services to our community while touching the land lightly.”
To learn more about Etheric Networks visit ethericnetworks.com or call 650-525-2535.
About Etheric Networks
Etheric Networks is a leading internet service provider dedicated to delivering fast, reliable, and affordable, connectivity for business, SOHO and residential clients. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Etheric spans the greater Bay Area, using a wholly owned fiber optic backbone and licensed broadband fixed wireless towers.
