WideOpenWest (WOW) said it will spend around $20 million in Pinellas County and Tampa, Fla. to expand and upgrade its local broadband operations, as the operator looks to poach business from Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS, both of which are enduring the turmoil of integration under new ownership.
"The investment enables the company to compete more effectively and continue to grow in the areas at a time when industry consolidation may cause some market disruption and limit consumer choices," WOW said in its statement.
WOW currently serves the majority of Pinellas County and parts of Tampa, passing around 270,000 homes and 30,000 businesses. After purchasing Verizon's (NYSE: VZ) wireline assets in the region last year, Frontier Communications has notably struggled to integrate FiOS' technical operations, resulting in myriad incidence of subscriber disruption.
With Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR) closing its purchase of Bright House last month, a similar struggle could await on the cable front.
"WOW! has a rich legacy of being an award-winning, independent operator that has competed effectively throughout the Southeast and Midwest U.S.," said Steve Pozil VP and GM for WOW in Florida. "What sets us apart in Pinellas County, Tampa and the other markets we serve is the exceptional customer experience and value we provide. Mergers and other industry transactions often can be disruptive and present WOW! with opportunities to create even more value and serve new residential and commercial customers."
For more:
- read this WOW press release
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