The struggling Virginia based telecom company RCN, who ambitiously laid fiber a few years ago to deliver competition in a monopoly cable & phone system, has had to sell off their SF broadband business for $45 million. Concord based Astound Broadband paid over $2,700 each for RCN’s approximately 18,000 existing SF customers. RCN never got a toehold into the whole city, mainly delivering along the southern edge, including Potrero Hill & Daly City, and made their inroads by offering a triple play bundle of cable TV, telephone services and internet speeds up to 10.0 Mbps.

RCN has struggle to build a business in a system that heavily favors incumbent carrier power, and lately despite bold plans, have been contracting services more than expanding them. Last year they also announced plans to close down operations in Los Angeles as well. RCN’s full service bundle is still being offered in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago & Washington DC. Astound Broadband, a division of Kirkland WA based WaveDivision Holdings add RCN’s SF area customers to the 55,000 video, data and phone customers they already have in Concord and Walnut Creek.

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