Chief Operating Officer, Cable One
Search every verified Kenneth Johnson interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2019 appearance, Kenneth Johnson, then Senior Vice President of Broadband Programs at NRTC, discussed strategies for expanding fiber-optic internet in rural communities. He recommended that providers consider building into underserved areas served by outdated DSL or poorly maintained small cable companies. Johnson described fiber-to-the-home as "the gold standard" and argued that it would remain competitive against future technologies such as low-earth-orbit satellite or 5G. Johnson also stated that NRTC initially focused exclusively on serving its cooperative members, aiming to bring fiber to every home where a viable business case existed. He acknowledged that not all areas could be reached with fiber but emphasized the importance of prioritizing fiber deployment where possible.
“If it's underserved, especially if there's someone there doing it, obviously it's not a good candidate, but if they have a DSL-type service or even maybe a rinky-dink mom and pop cable company that's not keeping their system up, I'd highly recommend you consider thinking about those spaces as part of your entire build.”
“The fiber to the home is the gold standard and I think everybody in the back of the room to that as well. If you can build fiber to the home, it's going to be pretty tough with any other competition, whether it's low earth orbit, satellite, this gizmo, or 5G or whatever it is they roll out in five years, it's going to...”
“When we started, this was something we were going to do for our members. We were pretty much tunnel vision on that; we were all co-op, so what we do for one member we wanted to do for all. It was important to us to get fiber to every home with a business case that would do that.”
Ken Johnson, NRTC Senior VP, Broadband Programs, speaks from personal experience about the wisdom of introducing ...
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