News Summary:
On June 24, 2026, private investment firm Grain Management, focused on digital infrastructure and communications, announced plans to combine its portfolio companies Ritter Communications, based in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and Blair, Nebraska-based Great Plains Communications, forming Rightfiber. This follows Grain Management's June 19 statement that the move underscores accelerating consolidation in the US fiber broadband market, bringing together two regional fiber operators to create a larger platform for expanding high-speed connectivity across underserved and rural areas. Earlier, on June 18, Ritter Communications announced its merger with Great Plains Communications of Nebraska. The combined entity, to be known as Rightfiber (the name of Ritter’s internet service), will become one of the largest privately held telecommunications providers in the country. On the same day, Heath Simpson, current CEO of Ritter and the designated CEO of Rightfiber, indicated the proposed combination aims to grow through fiber network expansions and opportunistic fiber-focused acquisitions, not primarily as a cost-cutting exercise. Ritter Communications also stated that the new company would serve more than 400 cities in 20 states, with each constituent company bringing over 100 years of history to the merger.
Subscribe for full access to Ritter Communications's products in full detail 
