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Utah Daily Herald Extra
May 19, 2015
Digis changes to Rise Broadband
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New logo for Rise Broadband, formerly known locally as Digis.
Karissa Neely Daily Herald
Digis is changing its colors. Literally. The local fixed wireless Internet service provider known
for its green color-schemed branding, will now be in red and under a new name, Rise Broadband.
Digis is actually a local provider run under parent company, JAB Broadband, based in Colorado.
Digis started in 1999, and was acquired in 2006 by JAB. At that time, the company opted to keep
the Digis name because of its brand awareness. Now almost 10 years later, the company has
acquired about 100 more ISPs, big and small. Prior to the name change, new ISP acquisitions
were rolled under one of five different brand names, depending on its location.
Because of JAB’s expansion -- it now serves 15 states -- the founders have opted to take all five
brands under the same umbrella. One major benefit to this, said Jeff Kohler, co-founder of JAB
Broadband, is that prior to the name change, executives at JAB had to make five versions of their
marketing materials, websites, and the like.
“We chose the name Rise Broadband, because we’ve always focused on primarily serving those
in unserved and underserved areas,” said Kohler. “It’s basically about raising the bar of service
for those in areas, including rural, who only have dial-up as their Internet option, or don’t want to
use cable.”
JAB employs more than 800 employees, with more than 150 employees here in Utah at its
warehouse and call center in American Fork. All employees will stay on with the name change,
and Rise Broadband will continue to service its 185,000 customers without any noticeable blip in
coverage.
“The change in name will have very little impact on our subscribers, as we will maintain the
level of customer care and service that we have always been known for,” said Edward Martin,
American Fork director of field marketing for Rise Broadband. “Rise Broadband is an easier
name to recognize, plus better describes who we are as an enterprise -- that is we give our
subscribers the ability to receive high-speed internet in areas where other companies simply
can’t, due to their infrastructure.”
Not only does the name change simplify and unite the ISPs, but it hopes to represent the future
for the company as a whole.
“Our new name, Rise Broadband, represents our unwavering dedication to connect customers
with the people and things they value most -- whether they live in rural, remote or suburban
areas,” said Jack Koo, president and chief executive officer, in a press release. “In the coming
months, we are making a significant investment in our network to provide increased reliability
and faster speeds to better deliver the communications, information, education and entertainment
our customers depend on.”
Rise currently has a concentration of Utah customers in Salt Lake City, Bountiful, Ogden,
Logan, Provo, Orem and Eagle Mountain but expects to expand to surrounding markets.
“Our projections over the next few years include continual growth through organic means, as we
continue to upgrade our network and infrastructure in both the residential and commercial
arenas,” Martin said. “Because new technology is being developed continually with the ability to
offer higher bandwidths on a more efficient basis, we will continue to see new offerings that
complement how people actually communicate today, and into the future.”
About Parent Company Rise Broadband
Rise Broadband, formerly known under the JAB Broadband name, was incorporated in 2005 and
previously operated as Digis, Prairie-iNet, Skybeam, T6 and Rhino Communications throughout 15 states;
offering affordable high-speed internet and phone broadband services with speeds ranging between 3
Mbps and 1 Gbps. In the past 18 months, the organization has garnered national and international
acclaim for its technology, innovation and customer service:
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Awarded $16.9 million through the FCC’s Rural Broadband Experiment program
Top 100 Global Companies in 2014 by Red Herring Magazine
America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies in 2014 by Inc. Magazine
Top 100 North American Companies in 2014 by Red Herring Magazine
Operator of the Year in 2013 by the Wireless Internet Service Provider Association
Karissa Neely reports on Business & Community events, and can be reached at (801) 344-2537
or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @DHKarissaNeely