Rosenworcel in Boston, Viasat’s New President, Omni Fiber’s Ohio Investment

April 17, 2023 – The head of the Federal Communications Commission was in Boston on Wednesday to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program.

The Massachusetts city received $550,000 in funding for grants to promote the subsidy program – which discounts monthly connectivity by $30 and $75 on tribal lands – via the National Competitive Outreach Program, one of four marketing programs the regulator set up to get Americans on the program. As part of the outreach commitment, each state will get a minimum of $500,000 for the purpose.

The city also received $250,000 to fund an initiative called the B-Online Initiative for in-person activities to boost awareness and enrollment in the ACP.

The ACP recently crossed 17 million subscribers.

“The response to this program demonstrates that an internet connection is vital for success in today’s world, but there are still more families we can reach,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a press release. “I’m grateful to Mayor Wu, the City of Boston, and local community partners for collaborating with us to ensure families can get online and stay online, no matter who they are or where they live.”

Rosenworcel was joined by mayor Michelle Wu, the city’s innovation and technology office, and the Age Strong Commission, which focuses on improving the lives of older residents through programs and connections.

Viasat has a new president

Satellite communications company Viasat announced Thursday that K. Guru Gowrappan has been appointed the company’s new president.

Effective Thursday, Gowrappan will work with the CEO and chairman of the board in leading its global operations and the company’s growth strategy.

“Guru is an accomplished leader with extensive international technology experience, and we are extremely pleased to welcome him to Viasat,” Mark Dankberg, chairman and CEO, said in a release. “His experience in integrating large technology organizations, operating and growing one of the world’s largest internet platforms, delivering content to hundreds of millions of users, identifying new growth opportunities and creating powerful global partnerships are especially pertinent as we scale our fixed and mobile businesses globally.

“Guru’s strong background in M&A, interactive digital products, sharp focus on cost effective execution, and his attention to organizational culture can help us realize the operational and financial goals enabled by the ViaSat-3 constellation and the pending Inmarsat acquisition,” Dankberg added.

Gowrappan has over 20 years of executive leadership experience and growing consumer internet media, the release said.

He was previously CEO of Verizon’s media division, which lead brands such as Yahoo, HuffPost, and TechCrunch. He also previously held leadership roles at e-commerce giant Alibaba and mobile game developer Zynga.

Omni Fiber’s Ohio fiber investment

Ohio-based Omni Fiber has partnered with the city of Wilmington to bring fiber to the majority of the city, according to a press release Thursday.

The $7 million project is expected to provide internet speeds of up to 2 Gigabits per second download.

The “multi-month” project, which is underway, is expected to see installations beginning this summer.

“This investment will give our residents an important new option for Internet service, which I believe will lead to further growth of our city,” Wilmington Mayor John Stanforth said in the release.

Late last year, Omni Fiber completed its acquisition of Ohio Telecom to accelerate expansion of its fiber network. Before that, it drove its fiber-to-the-premises network to more communities in the state.