Vantage Point Crosses $2.7 Billion Milestone in Loan and Grant Funding for Clients
September 15, 2022
With success in recent grant programs, Vantage Point exceeds $2.7 billion in broadband funding secured for clients.
$2.7 billion, with a B. That’s the milestone recently crossed by Vantage Point Solutions measuring the broadband funding they have secured for clients.
As recent state and federal grants awards have been announced, Vantage Point clients were awarded tens of millions of dollars to provide broadband to unserved and underserved areas across Rural America. Added to previous awards, Vantage Point’s total grant, auction, and loan funding secured for clients now exceeds $2.7 billion.
The funding has been put to work connecting Rural America, used to support multi-state, statewide, and local broadband buildouts and network improvements using fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), wireless, and middle mile technologies. These programs include federal grants and loans, stimulus funds, state programs, and FCC auctions.
Vantage Point’s success in these funding programs can be attributed to the company’s unique combination of expertise, according to Nathan Weber, Vice President of Engineering and one of Vantage Point’s 10 Licensed Professional Engineers. “Whether it’s an auction, an RUS loan, or a state grant, funding applications typically require both engineering plans and financial analysis. Vantage Point has expertise in both of those under the same roof; and our clients benefit from those experts working together.”
Other factors have also supported the company’s success: “There’s an element of creativity you need to have,” says Andy Deinert, Network & Security Services Manager. “We’re constantly working on new and unusual scenarios, and that stretches us and adds to our capabilities. Then when these funding opportunities come up, we have this experience across the board. It’s a great asset to our clients.”
Kristy Szabo, Director of Consulting, agrees, adding “We have been successful with funding programs in a broad variety of scenarios. That experience works in favor of the companies we work with, because the lessons transfer from one situation to another.”
All agree that the greatest factor in Vantage Point’s broadband funding success has been the company’s focus on client success. “We put clients first, day-in, day-out,” says Darren Dierbeck, Sr. Vice President of Customer Relations. “These funding applications are never a transaction, where we simply perform a list of tasks. Our team gets to know each company: their operation, their network, their team. There’s an X factor with every application, and you have to have a trusting relationship to access that.”
That focus on relationships is above and beyond the quality of work product, according to Dierbeck. “Yes, network designs are future-proofed. Yes, financial analysis is realistic. But that’s just the starting point; our end goal is to ensure our work is aligned with what it’s going to take to make them successful long-term.”
With this milestone behind them, the Vantage Point team is keenly aware of the current funding environment and the funding opportunities ahead. “As an industry we have a long way to go, but we’re starting to see the type of funding philosophy it’s going to take to close the digital divide,” says Larry Thompson, CEO. “Making these investments work well, and work long-term, takes the kind of dedication and expertise the Vantage Point team has shown. We have the track record, and we’re ready to help our clients navigate these opportunities.”
