Rural broadband consolidator Rural Telecommunications of America (RTA) has acquired Blue Ridge Fiber, LLC. The acquisition, RTA says, will enable it to expand further in the Midland-Odessa, TX area.
RTA says that it will deploy its gigFAST branded fiber broadband service first to the Greenwood neighborhoods. The gigFAST network currently consists of more than 13,000 fiber route miles, as well as fixed wireless access (FWA) infrastructure.
RTA has made at least one move beyond residential and business connectivity. In October 2019, it partnered with the Internet of Things America (IoT America) to work on soil monitoring, asset tracking and tank level monitoring. All three applications are of use to farms, ranches and similar businesses.
RTA is no stranger to Texas. In February 2020 the company acquired Southern Broadband LLC, a fiber and wireless ISP provider based in Galveston County. Southern Broadband served thousands of customers in Alvin, Pearland, Clear Lake, Bolivar and eastward to Beaumont, Texas. SBB also offered fiber wholesale services in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
A year ago – in January 2023 – RTA finalized another move in Texas when it acquired local ISP SCT Broadband. At that time, the company said that it would deploy gigFAST’s Internet, voice and stream TV services to the communities of Smithville, Flatonia, LaGrange, Schulenburg, Bastrop and the surrounding areas.
At the time of the SCT acquisition, RTA said that it had more than 13,000 route miles of fiber and customers in 22 states. The company, which also offers wholesale services, was co-founded by Jim Edwards and Don Workman. Both are natives of Texas
