Ritter Communications and Great Plains Communications — both owned by private investment firm Grain Management — are merging into a single fiber broadband provider operating under a brand called Rightfiber.
The combination pairs Jonesboro, Arkansas-based Ritter Communications with Blair, Nebraska-based Great Plains Communications, two providers that each carry more than a century of operating history. According to the announcement, the new organization will span 20 states once the change is implemented. Current Ritter CEO Heath Simpson will lead Rightfiber as CEO, while Great Plains CEO Todd Foje will become executive chairman.
The Rightfiber name isn’t entirely new. Since 2021, Ritter has used the name RightFiber for its residential fiber service, expanding the brand into markets like Paducah, Kentucky, and most recently through the acquisition of Ruston, Louisiana’s city-owned fiber network. Part of the merger with Great Plains includes making the f in Rightfiber lowercase.
Once finalized, the merger positions Rightfiber to serve more than 400 communities across 20 states, connecting 300,000 homes and businesses via a 28,000-mile fiber network. Grain Management said it expects the company to grow revenue and profitability through both organic expansion and acquisitions, while marketing itself as a partner to communities, businesses, and large data center operators.
The firm said the union of Ritter Communications and Great Plains Communications would make Rightfiber one of the country’s largest privately owned telecom operators.
Ritter already operates in seven states — Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Missouri, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Oklahoma — where it serves more than 65,000 customers across 197 communities. It provides telecom, video, and data center services in addition to its fiber broadband lineup.
Great Plains’ footprint covers nearly 200 communities in five states — Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Nebraska — and runs on more than 20,000 miles of fiber that carries high-speed internet, managed Ethernet, and other connectivity offerings to homes and businesses.
In a statement, Simpson said Ritter and Great Plains share a focus on customers, communities, and employees, and that combining them would create growth opportunities while preserving local service relationships. Foje said the providers held similar values and cultures and that the combined company would extend fiber connectivity to underserved areas.
The deal still needs regulatory clearance and other routine approvals before closing.
