Energy Company Complains About Ziply Fiber Deployment
NorthWestern Energy filed a complaint about the provider with the FCC
Blake Ledbetter
WASHINGTON, Mar. 4, 2025 – NorthWestern Energy Group – a gas and electric company serving Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska – on Monday submitted a public comment criticizing what it called broadband provider Ziply’s unsafe construction practices and working conditions.
“The concern we want the FCC to consider is that Ziply has not conducted itself for the good of its employees, customers, or the public,” read the 2-page letter, within a 154-page document with attachments.
Last summer, NorthWestern sought a temporary restraining order against Ziply to keep them from practicing unsafe working conditions on their utilities. The two sides agreed to a settlement and the restraining order was dropped.
However, in the filing NorthWestern said that Ziply hasn't changed their practices since that time.
NorthWestern also said it is not seeing Ziply extend its broadband deployment out to rural communities in Montana:
"The work Ziply is doing in Montana is focused in 5 of its 6 largest communities: Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Butte, and Helena,” according to NorthWestern’s filing.
“Each of these communities has several communication companies providing broadband services to their residents. Ziply does not appear to be extending broadband services to Montana’s smaller communities or rural areas. It is difficult to imagine the benefit of bringing an additional broadband service provider to the largest communities in Montana outweighs the risk of Ziply’s unsafe operation around NorthWestern’s electric facilities," the utility company said.
NorthWestern also noted that Idaho’s Public Utilities Commission is currently investigating similar business practice complaints against Ziply Fiber.
Ziply Fiber is expected to be acquired by BCE Holding Corporation, a subsidiary of Bell Canada. While NorthWestern Energy does not take a position on the BCE acquisition of Ziply, it urged the FCC and Ziply’s new ownership to address what it claimed were inadequacies in Ziply’s construction and safety practices.
