BendBroadband

BendBroadband is a cable television and internet provider in the U.S. state of Oregon. Based in Bend, it serves Central Oregon and also owns several television stations and a data center. As of September 2014, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. [NYSE: TDS], a Fortune 500 company.

BendBroadband
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryTelecommunications
Mass media
Founded1955
HeadquartersBend, Oregon
Area served
Central Oregon
ProductsCable television
Broadband internet
VoIP phone
Television broadcasting
RevenueUS$70 million (2013)
Number of employees
280 (May 2014)
ParentTelephone and Data Systems
SubsidiariesZolo Media
KBNZ
KOHD
Websitebendbroadband.com

History

The company was founded as Bend TV Cable in 1955.[1] Don Ries and Fred Hartman worked to start the company that started with three channels and charged $3.69 per month.[2] Donald Tykeson bought the company in 1983.[3] In 1997, the company, then known as Bend Cable Communications Inc., started providing internet service.[1] It announced in 1998 it would expand its fiber optic network to Redmond and Sisters.[4] By 2004, the company had moved to the BendBroadband moniker, and that year introduced high-definition video-on-demand to its system utilizing technology from nCUBE.[5]

In 2009, the company started a wireless network to provide internet and telephone service, which was upgraded to LTE in 2011.[6] BendBroadband opened a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) data center, the Vault, in 2011.[7][8] In February 2014, it sold off its LTE spectrum to AT&T.[6] The company sold itself to Telephone and Data Systems (TDS) for $261 million in May 2014.[9] At that time the company had $70 million in annual revenues and 280 employees with Amy Tykeson as CEO.[1]

Operations

BendBroadband serves 36,000 cable customers, 22,000 landline customers, and 41,000 internet customers.[1] It also owns Zolo Media, which operates KBNZ, KOHD, and COTV11, plus an advertising division.[8][9] The company also owns a data center, the Vault,[8] which is now part of OneNeck IT Solutions, a TDS Company.

References
  1. Rogoway, Mike (May 2, 2014). "BendBroadband sold to TDS for $261 million". The Oregonian. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  2. Rogoway, Mike (May 4, 2014). "Why did Bend have cable TV in the 1950s?". The Oregonian. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  3. Stevens, Suzanne (September 26, 2012). "OSU Bend campus gets $1M gift". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  4. "Bend Cable reaches out". Portland Business Journal. December 4, 1998. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  5. Earnshaw, Aliza (February 18, 2004). "NCube forging deals". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  6. "Business briefing: BendBroadband sells spectrum". The Bulletin. Bend, Ore. February 25, 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  7. Williams, Christina (June 24, 2011). "BendBroadband beats Facebook to coal-free green data center". Sustainable Business Oregon. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  8. "About". BendBroadband. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  9. Spencer, Malia (May 2, 2014). "BendBroadband sells to Chicago cable firm for $261M". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
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