This episode features Joe Costello, CEO of Kwikbit Internet, a wireless ISP delivering broadband service to mobile home park communities in several states across the US, including Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
We discuss how the company got started and why it ended up focusing on mobile home parks (also known as manufactured housing communities). We also discuss the technology behind Kwikbit and how it’s different from other wireless companies, the challenges to delivering and receiving service in mobile homes and much more.
Here are just a few topics covered in this episode:
- How Kwikbit went from being an equipment vendor to an ISP (0:53)
- Background on the 60GHz technology powering Kwikbit’s service (5:25)
- Why Kwikbit chose to focus on delivering service to mobile home parks (8:30)
- Details on where Kwikbit is delivering service and its growth in 2022 (15:11)
- Hurdles to delivering and receiving service at mobile home parks (17:11)
- Kwikbit’s experience enrolling customers in the Affordable Connectivity Program (23:19)
- How and why Kwikbit plans to compete for broadband grants alongside cable and fiber providers (27:11)
- Where Kwikbit plans to expand its service offerings in 2023 (36:13)
Related stories and links:
- Episode transcript (unedited PDF)
- FCC adopts annual data collection rules for ACP
- FCC seeks more input on digital discrimination rules
- The Divide: How Wave 7 is connecting Enfield, North Carolina, with community broadband
— Nicole Ferraro, editor, Light Reading, and host of “The Divide” podcast.
