Keeping it Local: Fidium’s fiber-forward future in Fargo-Moorhead

By Jonathan Magnell, senior director, head of Business Development & CoCa Deal Strategy, Fidium

For more than 130 years, our company has evolved alongside the communities we serve. We began in an era when connection meant telephone lines and local switchboards. Today, connection means something much bigger: fiber infrastructure that powers how people work, learn, access healthcare, grow businesses, and participate in an increasingly digital economy.

This evolution is especially meaningful in the Fargo-Moorhead region, where our history is deeply intertwined with the community’s growth.

We first launched fiber services here in 1999, helping lay the foundation for the region’s digital future. While our name has changed over the years, our commitment to the community has remained constant. Today, we continue that legacy by investing in next-generation fiber infrastructure across Fargo, West Fargo, Moorhead, Horace, Harwood, and the surrounding communities.

In 2025, Consolidated Communications became Fidium, bringing our residential, business, and wholesale services together under one fiber-focused brand. For customers, the Fidium name represents faster, simpler, and more reliable connectivity built on future-ready fiber networks. For our employees, it reflects a belief we have always held: strong networks are built through strong local relationships.

And our commitment is backed by investment.

Most recently, Fidium committed $15 million toward data center connectivity across the U.S. and $1.4 million in network enhancements throughout the Fargo area. These investments are about more than increasing speeds – they are about ensuring the region is prepared for the opportunities of tomorrow.

The next generation of business innovation depends on resilient, high-capacity networks. Cloud computing, artificial intelligence, advanced healthcare applications, software-defined networking, data center connectivity, and real-time collaboration all rely on fiber infrastructure to perform at their full potential.

For businesses, fiber enables reliable connections between offices, cloud platforms, and critical applications.

For schools, it supports thousands of students and educators in connected learning environments.

For healthcare providers, it helps securely move data and power digital tools that improve patient access and outcomes.

For communities, it creates the infrastructure necessary to attract investment, support job growth, and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving economy.

Fiber is essential infrastructure for the modern era. Just as previous generations invested in roads, railways, and utilities to fuel growth, today’s communities must invest in digital infrastructure to support their future.

Across Fargo-Moorhead, organizations are embracing technology at an unprecedented pace. Businesses, schools, healthcare systems, and local governments all face increasing demands for connectivity, security, and performance. Communities that prioritize strong digital infrastructure are best positioned to foster innovation, attract employers, and create long-term economic momentum.

Being local is about more than where we build networks. It is about how we engage with the communities we serve.

I have lived and worked in this region for more than 20 years. Like many members of our Fargo-based team, I am not just invested professionally – I am invested personally. We live here, volunteer here, coach youth sports, support local organizations, and care deeply about the future of this community.

That local perspective shapes how we serve our customers. We do not see businesses, schools, healthcare systems, and public institutions as accounts. We see them as neighbors, employers, educators, and community leaders. When we help organizations deploy cloud connectivity, point-to-point networking, SD-WAN, data center connectivity, or high-capacity fiber solutions, we understand the real-world impact those services have on people and communities.

At the same time, Fidium combines that local commitment with the strength of a national fiber network. Our customers benefit from local teams who understand the market, backed by extensive network resources, deep technical expertise, and scalable solutions that support organizations of every size. That combination of local presence and national reach is what makes us especially optimistic about the future of Fargo-Moorhead.

As technology continues to evolve, so will the demands placed on our networks. New innovations will create new opportunities, and communities like ours will need infrastructure capable of supporting them.

At Fidium, our focus remains clear: connecting communities to what matters most while helping them prepare for what comes next.

Because the future is built on connection – and Fidium is built for that future.