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Rightfiber also secured a $1.6 billion credit facility led by Fifth Third Bank to fund organic network builds

By Brad Randall, Broadband Communities

Private equity firm Grain Management has completed its strategic merger of portfolio assets Ritter Communications and Great Plains Communications, officially launching Rightfiber as one of the nation’s largest privately held fiber broadband platforms.

Uniting two century-old operators, the deal creates a 28,000-mile regional fiber network delivering over 300,000 fiber-to-the-home passings and enterprise connectivity across 400 communities in 20 states, Grain Management announced Sept. 2.

To fuel its aggressive expansion, Rightfiber also secured a $1.6 billion credit facility led by Fifth Third Bank to fund organic network builds and future M&A activity, Grain Management announced.

Led by CEO Heath Simpson, the integrated company aims to leverage its regional scale to serve residential markets, businesses, carriers, and hyperscalers while preserving local customer support teams, Grain Management said. The completion, meanwhile, transitions the combined footprint into active systems integration and network buildouts.

Some AI tools also assisted in the crafting of this report.

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