Liberty, Broadband Execs Say Their Combination will Enhance Technology in USVI

The pending acquisition of Broadband VI by Liberty Latin America is now in the final approval phase, but ahead of the official deal closing, company execs are touting the potential for huge technological growth in the territory now that the two are becoming one.

Separately, both companies have invested in broadband network buildouts, offering customers within the U.S. Virgin Islands different wireless and fiber optic internet options.

“We were committed to offer resiliency, reach and redundancy in times of emergency, and AT&T had already laid the groundwork for an expansive cellular data network that aligned well to our existing broadband network,” Broadband VI Chief Operating Officer David Zumwalt said Tuesday as he spoke about Broadband’s work in the territory, which began in 2002. “Liberty’s acquisition of AT&T Wireless in the territory made it possible for us to envision precisely the kind of resilient network we wanted to provide.”

Earlier this year, Broadband secured $84.4 million in Federal Communications Commission Connect USVI funding – formerly Universal Service Funds – specifically earmarked for the completion of a comprehensive, high-speed fixed internet network. The funds will be disbursed over 10 years, amounting to approximately $8.4 million a year, and are in addition to what is being put in privately – initially by Broadband, and now Liberty as well.