Fiber Internet service is the gold standard of wired residential internet connections.
By Steve Panosian
The biggest benefit of fiber is that it offers much faster speeds over much longer distances than traditional copper-based technologies such as digital subscriber line (DSL) internet and cable internet. A fiber internet connection easily can be 10 times as fast as a standard cable connection.
Fiber is the fastest home internet option by far, but its availability is scattered. In Dallas, fiber internet is available to about 65 percent of residents, and that qualifies as high availability compared to other major metros in the United States. Overall, approximately 45 – 50 percent of U.S. households have access to fiber, according to the Fiber Broadband Association.
I sat down recently with Scott Sampson, CEO of Fiber Fast Homes, to talk about supplying lightning-fast fiber infrastructure to new residential developments. His goal is to provide homebuyers of today the internet solutions to keep up with their home’s bandwidth needs for years to come. Scott was instrumental in blazing a new path in developing a collaborative partnership and relationship with Dream Finders Homes, a national production home builder.
Scott Sampson
STEVE: Tell us about your background and your strategy to bring fiber internet to the nation.
SCOTT: I have been in the telecom industry for almost 30 years and have helped numerous ISPs (Internet Service Providers) with growth and operations. I was brought on board by Boston Omaha Corporation to assist with an ISP acquisition for their broadband division. One thing led to another, and Fiber Fast Homes was created, and I was named CEO.
Since COVID, our collective home internet use has skyrocketed with remote work, home schooling and video streaming. It became clear the importance of partnering with builders to ensure new homes are fitted with the fastest internet available cutting out lag time and frustration. An individual fiber line for each home allows for faster and symmetrical download and upload speeds. Buying a home with the fastest internet speeds available also makes it possible to enjoy the best TV and entertainment experience as well as supporting smart home devices that now run many households.
By leveraging the advantage of the fastest internet experience, fiber becomes the de facto technology driver for adding value to a home, and a foundational part of the future. In looking to the future, clearly, our world is only going to become more digital, and we’ll need as much bandwidth as possible to support it.
The story of how we were connected with Dream Finders Homes is very interesting. Fiber Fast Homes’ parent company, Boston Omaha Corporation, opened the door for an opportunity to present the Fiber Fast Homes product to Dream Finders Homes’ division Presidents. I knew the selling point couldn’t be just about fiber internet because a lot of people use fiber internet, which is not uncommon, so the question was how do we make it different?
My challenge was vetting out all the pain points through conversations with several builders and developers to arrive at a solution that addressed this decision making audience’s concerns. We concluded that fiber was great, but without a 100 percent bulletproof customer service component, you are no different from any other provider. And customer service was the differentiator that the Dream Finders Homes’ decision- makers needed to understand.
In developing our strategy, we looked beyond who the customer was because it’s not just the homeowner we need to keep happy. Our service focused approach must also address each step in the process of delivering our fiber solution to the home and this involves the developer and builder.
We focused on the very early stages of building the home which involves working closely with the developer and planning to lay our infrastructure when the utility trench is open. Our role is to do our part fast, run the fiber conduit, finish and get out of everyone else’s way.
The same discipline applies as we pull fiber inside the home, we coordinate with the builder’s construction teams every step of the way. This involves knowing when the framers, the plumbers, and the electricians are doing their part, and we move quickly to be finished before the sheetrock installation begins.
So we really have several customers, Dream Finders Homes, who happen to be the developer and builder, and the new homeowner, so we must be aligned with each of them through the entire process.
Steve: When the house is built and the homeowner is ready to move in, what did the Dream Finders Homes presidents expect next?
Scott: Everything had to work from day one. The division presidents shared that their customers are buying into the world of IoT devices they are selling today which requires a high-speed connection. The homes feature the latest Ring doorbells, smart thermostats, garage door openers, camera monitors, lighting control and sensors, and many other smart solutions. The day-one expectation is that important.
When I was meeting with all the division presidents, it was a major pain point as it related to internet delivery, they were very clear that when the very first homeowner moved in, everything needed to be up and running. Waiting months after a number of homes were completed for their internet service to begin was a non-starter. And it didn’t matter whether it was fiber or not.
So the internet was clearly the priority and Fiber Fast Homes’ differentiating edge was supporting the homeowner on day-one with high-speed service.
Steve: Talk some more about future-proofing, since more and more devices in the home will require more and more bandwidth over the years.
Scott: Initially, we simplified our product offering and gave a good quality product for a great price. We currently offer speeds of 1 Gig but plan to increase speed availability to be ready as demand increases. The reality is, fiber is a 100-year product, and adding additional fiber to our conduit is simple. It’s future-proof. Our fiber is actually a conduit and also an armored cable and it includes extra strands of fiber. If a strand of fiber does get cut, and we need to splice it, the way it is installed it can be fixed within an hour. Whether something is cut outside the home in the trench or let’s say the homeowner was hanging a photo and pounded a nail through the conduit – and it does happen! – repairs can be addressed within 20 to 30 minutes. Rare, but we can fix it.
Steve: So let’s circle back to when you first prepped for presenting Dream Finders Homes. How many others were they talking to?
Scott: Dream Finders Homes had been talking and dealing with all the carriers and cable companies. What attracted them to what we offered was our commitment to working with their schedule, not ours. Prior to our involvement, Dream Finders never experienced this approach. The carriers and cable companies just came in when they wanted, and when they did, they didn’t talk to anybody. No coordination or customer service. They were there on their agenda. On the other hand, I’m not on my agenda, instead I’m on our customer’s agenda, and this approach was the thing that moved them because they realized, “Oh, hold on, you’re going to actually talk to us?” And I think this was a big part of the decision driver.
Dream Finders Homes opened the door to a test deal, and the results compelled them to make their decision to go with us. Today, we’re enjoying a two and a half year milestone of working together and the feedback is nothing less than positive. They are happy, and we’ve received great compliments
Steve: So as you grow regionally and with sights for a national reach, how do you scale Fiber Fast Homes’ expertise to keep up with Dream Finders Homes’ growth?
Scott: This took a while to figure out. I knew they were in Jacksonville and Orlando and after I met all of their division presidents, I’ll be honest, initially, I didn’t think about their plans to become nationwide. Depending on the market and size, we use a combination of our employees and contractors. We constantly look at the numbers. It’s a balance of profitability, investment, and keeping our customers happy. This is what cements our partnership with Dream Finders Homes.
We are partners, and we work with their design teams and their crews, and we recommend where to plan on placing TVs and other IoT devices throughout the home. Where the placement of Ethernet drops and power should be located. And they are listening. This is a huge advantage. We’re getting it right at the planning stage, as opposed to re-working the home to accommodate things like mounting a TV on a wall that didn’t have a power outlet or internet feed.
I think the biggest issue for us is to keep learning about and understanding the importance of caring about customers and customer service. I believe this is what cracks the code for customer loyalty. We focus on doing the right thing for the customer – builders and consumers – and I want to be known as the first person on their list to call because they know we’re there to help them.
