Our Latest News

PRINCETON, NJ – (July 19, 2021) – Grande Communications, a division of Astound Broadband, the sixth largest cable operator in the United States, today announced the acquisition of Harris Broadband, L.P (“Harris”), a leading provider of fiber-to-the-home (“FTTH”) services, offering internet, TV and voice services in areas of Central Texas. Houlihan Lokey served as Harris’s financial advisor on the sale process. Seyfarth Shaw LP served as Grande’s legal adviser on the deal. Upon closing, this acquisition will add over 6,000 customers, 12,500 homes passed and 150 miles of fiber plant to Grande’s operations in Texas. The company expects the transaction to close later this year.

Adding Harris to Grande’s regional operations provides a strong strategic fit with its existing network footprint. This union also brings broadband expansion opportunities to underserved markets, and will help bridge the digital divide in areas of Central Texas.

“We expect to combine Harris Broadband’s localized expertise and leadership with our broader network and resources to provide more services to more customers throughout Central Texas and beyond,” said Jim Holanda, CEO of Grande Communications and Astound Broadband. “We will leverage best practices from our family of companies to build upon Harris’s long track record of success in providing advanced broadband services.”

“We’re excited to become a part of the Grande Communications family,” said Philip Harris, President of Harris Broadband. “This transaction provides us with access to nationally recognized technical expertise, highly regarded operational management systems and processes, and unparalleled financial acumen to further the expansion of Harris Broadband. Moreover, this transaction is great for not only customers we currently serve, but surrounding communities in and around Brownwood and Early.”

Harris currently operates in Brownwood and Early TX, providing the latest in FTTH technology to deliver video, internet and voice services to customers, and is a natural fit and extension of Astound Broadband’s existing Grande Communications’ footprint in Texas, which includes Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, San Marcos, Corpus Christi, Waco, Temple, Houston and Midland/Odessa.

For the immediate future, Harris Broadband customers will continue to receive billing statements and communication directly from Harris Broadband. Customers can continue to call 1-325-646-9493 for customer service, billing or technical support inquiries.

To learn more about Grande Communications, please visit: https://mygrande.com/. To learn more about Harris Broadband, please visit: https://www.harrisbb.com/.

###

About Astound Broadband

Astound Broadband (astound.com) is the sixth largest cable operator in the U.S., providing award-winning high speed internet, broadband communications solutions, TV, phone services and fiber optic solutions for residential  and business customers across the United States. Astound Broadband is comprised of organizations formerly  known as RCN, Grande Communications, Wave Broadband, and enTouch. The company services Chicago, Indiana, Eastern Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York City, Maryland, Washington, DC, Texas, regions  throughout California, Oregon and Washington.

PRINCETON, NJ – June 30, 2021 – Astound Broadband, the sixth largest cable operator in the United States (doing business as RCN, Grande Communications, and Wave Broadband), today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the Chicago, IL, Evansville, IN, and Anne Arundel, MD assets of WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone for $661 million. In total, these assets comprise approximately 128,000 residential and business customers, more than 700,000 homes passed and 5,700 miles of plant. The company expects the transaction to close later this year.

Astound’s acquisition of WOW!’s Illinois, Indiana and Maryland markets provides a strong strategic fit with its existing network footprint. WOW!’s Chicago footprint is adjacent to RCN’s existing service area and once integrated, will allow RCN to substantially expand its presence in the Chicago market. In addition, the company will be able to create efficiencies with its existing Chicago-based operational oversight, product offerings, and marketing resources.

Likewise, the Anne Arundel, MD footprint, adjacent to RCN’s Washington, DC service area, allows RCN to expand its presence in the mid-Atlantic, while taking advantage of marketing and operating efficiencies once integrated into its existing infrastructure and operations. This footprint lies largely south of Baltimore and close to the Baltimore-Washington Airport, which offers considerable commercial and residential opportunities for growth.

Evansville, IN is a separate property, not adjacent to Astound’s existing footprint, but one that provides consistent growth in an attractive market.

“Our acquisition of WOW!’s Illinois, Indiana and Maryland markets provides a very attractive opportunity to broaden our footprint in areas largely adjacent to the company’s existing operations. This will allow Astound to leverage our incumbent fiber-rich network assets, nearby operations talent, award-winning customer service, and strong product set to serve more customers in these markets,” said Jim Holanda, CEO of Astound Broadband. “We welcome the local Chicago, Evansville and Anne Arundel WOW! employees and are thrilled to have them join the Astound family. We look forward to working with both the WOW! management team and the current local employees on a smooth transition, and continuing the great customer experience they have successfully delivered over the years as we integrate these markets into our high-speed communications platform.”

“With Astound Broadband, WOW! has found a good steward for our operations across these service areas and shares our employee – and customer-centric culture and values,” said Teresa Elder, WOW! CEO. “They also have the resources and steadfast commitment to providing customers with the same great quality of service our customers in Illinois, Indiana and Maryland have come to expect from WOW!.”

All existing WOW! services and customer support will continue without interruption. Upon completion of the asset acquisition, WOW! will operate within the Astound Broadband ecosystem, including a robust fiber-rich network to allow delivery of more communication services to these WOW! areas, offering both residential and business customers new products and services to enhance the suite of products WOW already provides.

JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley are acting as financial advisors to Astound, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as legal advisor; Kelley Drye & Warren LLP as regularity advisor, with Deloitte & Touche LLP serving as tax and accounting advisor.

###

About Astound Broadband

Astound Broadband (astound.com) is the sixth largest cable operator in the U.S., providing award-winning high speed internet, broadband communications solutions, TV, phone services and fiber optic solutions for residential  and business customers across the United States. Astound Broadband is comprised of organizations formerly  known as RCN, Grande Communications, Wave Broadband, and enTouch. The company services Chicago, Indiana, Eastern Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York City, Maryland, Washington, DC, Texas, regions  throughout California, Oregon and Washington.

New service enables residential customers to optimize connectivity for better gaming performance

PRINCETON, NJ – June 1, 2021 – RCN, Grande and Wave and enTouch, award-winning providers of high-speed internet, digital TV and phone services, today announced the availability of their new Pro Gaming WiFi service. Powered by NETGEAR Nighthawk® Pro Gaming XR1000 WiFi 6 Router, paired with RCN, Grande, Wave and enTouch’s ultra-high-speed internet, it offers even more flexibility to home entertainment options, delivering a better gaming, streaming and video conferencing experience for residential customers. Packed with advanced gaming features, Nighthawk Pro Gaming router with WiFi 6 enables the capability for more devices to connect and stream simultaneously, with optimal speed and reliability, and efficiently packing and scheduling data.

More than 214 million people in the U.S. play video games, making gaming one of the fastest growing entertainment sectors today. Bandwidth and strong connectivity are essential for any level of gamer and with Pro Gaming WiFi, users can expect an optimal experience.

“NETGEAR is pleased to include the Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 WiFi 6 router as part of the RCN, Grande Communications, enTouch Solution to help enhance the online gaming experience while providing improved network performance for an entire household of connected devices,” said David Henry, senior vice president of Connected Home Products for NETGEAR. “Nighthawk Pro Gaming is our trusted line of performance routers that are the go-to solution for online gaming. With DUMAOS 3.0 software and the ultimate WiFi 6 hardware, Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 Router is equipped to handle the load of today’s multiple streaming screens and gaming platforms without compromising bandwidth or ping rates.”

The WiFi 6 dual-band router delivers faster, more reliable connections with 4X increased capacity and low latency. Boasting a powerful tri-core 1.5GHz processor, the Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 router supports more devices for better gaming, 4K streaming, surfing and more, while boosting your wireless, wired and USB performance. Unique DumaOS software enables customers to tailor their connection and lower latency for optimal ping – a game-changer in accommodating the uptick in bandwidth that comes with having everybody at home, all using the same connection for work, school, and entertainment.

“As a provider committed to bringing customers unique, cutting-edge and innovative options, we continue to offer customers ultimate choice and control,” said Chris Fenger, COO of RCN, Grande, Wave and enTouch. “Partnering with an industry leader such as NETGEAR allows us to deliver a new-to-market product, leading the new era of WiFi. With the Pro Gaming WiFi service, residential customers can stay in the game, not in the queue, with pure performance built for gamers with features other routers only dream about to keep them at the top of the leaderboard, and fuel the 4K/8K UHD entertainment streaming.”

With existing options for both Standard WiFi, and Enhanced Whole Home WiFi, the addition of NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 WiFi 6 router offers yet another solution to meet customer needs, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to giving customers what they want.

Residential customers across the RCN, Grande, Wave and enTouch footprint can sign-up for the companies’ Pro Gaming WiFi for just $12.95 per month.

To learn more about RCN’s offers, visit www.rcn.com/gaming. To learn more about Grande’s offers, visit www.mygrande.com/gaming.To learn more about Wave’s offers visit www.gowave.com/gaming. To learn more about enTouch’s offers visit www.entouch.net/gaming.

###

About Astound Broadband

Astound Broadband (astound.com) is the sixth largest cable operator in the U.S., providing award-winning high speed internet, broadband communications solutions, TV, phone services and fiber optic solutions for residential  and business customers across the United States. Astound Broadband is comprised of organizations formerly  known as RCN, Grande Communications, Wave Broadband, and enTouch. The company services Chicago, Indiana, Eastern Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York City, Maryland, Washington, DC, Texas, regions  throughout California, Oregon and Washington.

Award-winning organization to offer critical broadband discounts to customers

PRINCETON, NJ – May 12, 2021 – RCN, Grande and Wave and enTouch, award-winning providers of high-speed internet, digital TV and phone services across the U.S., have joined the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBBP) to ensure members of its communities maintain connectivity and have access to the internet needed to work and attend school remotely from home during the COVID-19 health emergency.

The EBBP is a nationwide federal program temporarily providing $3.2 billion to help households in need due to the pandemic pay for internet access. Eligible current and new customers will receive up to $50 per month off broadband services and related equipment, until federal funds are depleted. With RCN, Grande, Wave and enTouch’s already affordable pricing, this means that qualified applicants could receive totally free high-speed internet and equipment rentals for a limited time after application of the EBB program credit and supplemental company credit on select plans.

“Supporting our customers and communities during this extended period of uncertainty has been, and will continue to be, our main priority,” said Chris Fenger, Chief Operating Officer of RCN, Grande, Wave and enTouch. “While we’re all seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, families and individuals continue to be affected by the pandemic’s economic impact and until that subsides, we’ll do everything we can to ensure they remain connected to loved ones, engaged in their education, productive at work and able to unwind with their favorite shows and movies. The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program will provide additional support on top of our pre-existing COVID-19 response programs, further ensuring no customers in need will be without connectivity.”

Those interested in signing up can:

• Confirm eligibility at the National Verifier Database at www.checklifeline.org/lifeline;
  Choose Grande Communications as your service provider;
• Call to receive High-Speed Internet Service free after application of the EBB program credit and supplemental company credit on select plans for qualified applicants.
• Available services and equipment include award-winning internet services with speeds ranging from 100 – 300Mbps,* no data overage fees and a modem/router. The EBB discount is not available on all rate plans.

To learn more about the EBBP and sign up for free Grande’s broadband service, please visit: http://www.mygrande.com/ebb.

*Available speeds vary by area.

###

About Astound Broadband

Astound Broadband (astound.com) is the sixth largest cable operator in the U.S., providing award-winning high speed internet, broadband communications solutions, TV, phone services and fiber optic solutions for residential  and business customers across the United States. Astound Broadband is comprised of organizations formerly  known as RCN, Grande Communications, Wave Broadband, and enTouch. The company services Chicago, Indiana, Eastern Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York City, Maryland, Washington, DC, Texas, regions  throughout California, Oregon and Washington.