By:  Rush Blakely

This year, three RealtyCom team members attended the Broadband Communities Summit in The Woodlands, Texas. This annual event is designed for property owners and telecommunication service providers to meet and discuss strategies for delivering connectivity to communities across the country. If you were unable to attend we’ve recapped the most important topics discussed at the summit for you below.

FCC – Potential Regulation of Bulk Billing Agreements
As we alerted our clients in our March newsletter, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under a directive by The White House, is seeking to regulate bulk billing agreements in an effort to lower costs and address lack of choice in multifamily communities.  Many in our industry have been vocal against further regulation including property owners, the National Multifamily Housing Council, and the National Apartment Association. During several sessions at the 2024 Broadband Communities Summit, this topic was passionately discussed. ISP’s and providers agreed that regulation will harm residents and disincentivize investment in broadband services. It was clear that providers are concerned and are prepared to share their perspectives during the comment period following a […]

By:  Megan Jackson

Did you know that recent industry data suggests 20% of Service Provider contracts have payment errors, costing Owners tens of thousands in lost and missing revenue each year? This is hardly surprising considering the complexities inherent in contracts, property dispositions, and the dynamic nature of service provider processes. Recognizing this, RealtyCom’s Accounting Department meticulously reviews revenue share reports and agreements and then coordinates with the service provider organizations to rectify any issues.

Revenue assurance is a crucial component of RealtyCom’s portfolio management functions. We routinely audit every property with a revenue share agreement, to ensure our client has received all funds due from service providers. Of course, our goal is to ensure proper payment to our clients going forward, but we often discover variances that lead to further collection efforts. Here are a few examples of recent discoveries:

• During a portfolio audit over 64 agreements, we recovered $392k.
• We’ve successfully recovered $1.2M in funds relating to recent development projects of which 51% of the properties audited had errors resulting in tens of thousands of dollars […]
  

By:  Bob Reiss

Not all cabling is created equal.

While Fiber optic and Ethernet cabling have been a mainstay for new developments and rewires in multifamily, coax is more prevalent in existing communities across the country. Due to its wide availability and potential for upgrades, coax still has its place.

Fiber optic is decisively the fastest – with capabilities of 100 Gbps (100,000 Mbps) depending on your location/network and devices/equipment. Ethernet by comparison may provide 10 Gbps and is widely used in managed Wi-Fi deployments today. Despite these capabilities Service Providers generally offer consumers, your residents, 1-2 Gbps options today.

Coax provides similar access to 1-2 Gbps internet service, and the expectation is continued enhancement as the marketplace demands.  In fact, some providers have already done market testing of symmetrical multi-gig and 6 Gbps speeds as early as Q4 2022 using coax cable. There’s clearly good economic reasons to maintain and upgrade coax systems and invest in new technology like DOCSIS 4.0+, Managed Wi-Fi leveraging coax to reduce capex, and other Hybrid-Fiber-Coax solutions.

• Coax has by far the largest market share, being the most common home run wire type in existing communities.
• Leveraging existing coax for Managed Wi-Fi and other deployments […]