# Underline **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/underline **Vertical:** Telecom & Internet Providers **Subcategory:** General **Tier:** Emerging **Website:** underline.com **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary NYC open-access fiber platform building neutral municipal ISP infrastructure; Ares Management Infrastructure Opportunities first digital investment ($4.3B fund) with 225-mile Colorado Springs Phase I network competing with UTOPIA for community broadband. ## Company Overview Underline Infrastructure is a New York City-based open-access fiber-optic network operator — backed by Ares Management (Infrastructure Opportunities strategy, first digital infrastructure investment from its $4.3 billion fund), FinTech Collective, Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, and Emerson Collective — building intelligent fiber-to-the-home networks in partnership with municipalities across the United States as the nation's first intelligent community infrastructure platform. Founded around 2019 by Bob Thompson, Underline designs, finances, constructs, and operates fiber networks that serve as neutral public infrastructure available to multiple competing internet service providers. The company's Phase I deployment in Colorado Springs features a 225-mile fiber network connecting 24,000 homes and 4,000 businesses, with Phase II expansion underway to Fountain, Colorado and Salinas, California. Underline employs 88 people and provides speeds up to 10 Gbps for residential customers and 100 Gbps for enterprise customers. Underline's open-access infrastructure model addresses the broadband monopoly problem that prevents competitive pricing and service innovation in American communities: traditional ISPs (Comcast, Charter, AT&T) build closed proprietary fiber networks where the infrastructure owner and service provider are the same company — creating natural monopolies that face no competition on the network once capital is deployed. Underline's model (building neutral Active Ethernet fiber infrastructure owned separately from internet services, then enabling multiple ISPs, TV providers, telehealth platforms, and other digital service providers to compete over the same physical fiber) replicates the competitive marketplace model that produced competitive pricing in mobile (where T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T all use shared spectrum) — giving Colorado Springs residents a choice of multiple ISPs rather than a single cable incumbent. In 2025, Underline competes in the community broadband, open-access fiber, and municipal internet infrastructure market with Google Fiber (open-access experiments in Kansas City), Ting Internet (Tucows subsidiary, open-access fiber in select markets), and UTOPIA Fiber (Utah open-access fiber network serving 25+ cities) for municipal partnership agreements, BEAD program funding allocations, and ISP partner recruitment for open-access network deployments. The Ares Management investment (from the $4.3B Infrastructure Opportunities strategy, which previously focused on traditional infrastructure like toll roads and utilities) validates open-access fiber as institutional-grade infrastructure — attracting the patient capital that fiber-to-the-home requires. The Colorado Springs deployment serves as the commercial proof of concept for the open-access model with multiple competing ISPs. The 2025 strategy focuses on geographic expansion to additional communities using BEAD broadband infrastructure funding, recruiting additional ISP partners onto existing Underline networks, and demonstrating the subscriber attachment and ARPU metrics that support institutional infrastructure investment returns. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Underline Infrastructure? Underline Infrastructure is the nation's intelligent community infrastructure platform that designs, finances, constructs, and operates open-access fiber-optic networks in partnership with municipalities. Unlike traditional ISPs, Underline builds neutral infrastructure that allows multiple service providers to compete, giving consumers unprecedented choice in internet, TV, and digital services. ### How does Underline's open-access model work? Underline builds and owns the physical fiber infrastructure while multiple internet service providers offer services over the shared network. This creates a competitive marketplace where providers compete on price, service quality, and features rather than infrastructure ownership. All service providers charge prices established by Underline and share revenue in a manner reflective of activity, while consumers benefit from choice and competition. ### When was Underline Infrastructure founded? Underline Infrastructure was founded around 2019 by Bob Thompson, Jason White, and Coty Beasley. The company spent approximately two years in planning and development before announcing its first major deployment in Colorado Springs in October 2021. ### Where does Underline operate? Underline is headquartered in New York City with operational deployments in Colorado Springs and Fountain, Colorado. The company has announced expansion plans for Salinas, California, and is in active conversations with communities across the country. Colorado Springs represents Underline's largest deployment with 225 route miles of fiber connecting 24,000 homes and 4,000 businesses in Phase I. ### How much funding has Underline raised? Underline has raised significant funding from prominent investors including Ares Management (through its Infrastructure Opportunities strategy with $4.3 billion AUM), FinTech Collective, Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Emerson Collective, Fantail Ventures, Quanta Capital, Seavest Capital, and several private family offices. Specific funding amounts have not been publicly disclosed. ### What makes Underline different from traditional ISPs? Underline doesn't sell internet service directly to consumers. Instead, it builds and operates the physical fiber infrastructure while enabling multiple service providers to compete over the same network. This open-access model creates consumer choice, lowers barriers for service providers, and treats fiber as essential community infrastructure. Underline's software-defined network also includes integrated billing and cybersecurity layers that traditional ISPs don't provide. ### What speeds does Underline's network support? Underline's fiber networks support residential speeds up to 10 Gbps and enterprise speeds up to 100 Gbps. Service providers on the network typically offer tiered options including 500 Mbps, 1 Gbps (gigabit), and 10 Gbps symmetrical service, with all speeds featuring identical upload and download capabilities. ### Does Underline offer affordable internet options? Yes, Underline partners with the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) to offer 500 Mbps symmetrical service at no cost to qualifying low-income households (discounted from $49). This commitment to affordability ensures that every home in Underline's deployment communities can access high-speed internet regardless of income level. ### How can municipalities partner with Underline? Underline works with municipalities through a partnership model where the company handles all aspects of designing, financing, constructing, and operating fiber-to-the-home networks. Municipalities can initiate conversations through Underline's website or by participating in Request for Information processes. The company focuses on communities seeking to improve digital infrastructure and bridge the digital divide. ### Who leads Underline Infrastructure? Underline is led by Founder & CEO Bob Thompson, who previously served as SVP & Head of Corporate Finance Solutions for Guardian Life. The executive team includes co-founders Jason White (Vice President of Technology) and Coty Beasley (Head of Product & Design), along with Eva Arevuo (Head of Communications), Kyle Glaeser (Director of Emerging Networks), and Rahul Aggarwal (Head of Capital Markets). ### What is Underline's network architecture? Underline deploys fiber-to-the-home networks based on a Fiber-to-the-Edge, Active Ethernet, Software Defined Network (SDN) design. This architecture provides greater flexibility and intelligence compared to traditional passive optical networks, enabling dynamic service provisioning, integrated billing, cybersecurity features, and support for smart city applications. ### How many employees does Underline have? Underline Infrastructure employs 88 people across its New York City headquarters and operational markets. The team includes experts in network engineering, municipal partnerships, finance, product design, and community engagement. ## Tags b2b, b2c, telecom, infrastructure, global, communication --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*