Infrastructure Specialists, Not ISPs
We're the project management team behind the fiber builds. We don't compete with our clients. We make their deployments succeed.
Our Mission
Bringing high-speed fiber to underserved communities across the Southeast. Too many rural and small-town communities are stuck with inadequate broadband. Not because the economics don't work, but because nobody has put the right team on the ground to make it happen. That's what we do.
Who We Are
Coastal Communications is a telecom infrastructure consulting firm based in Athens, Georgia. We specialize in one thing: managing fiber-to-the-home deployments from concept to completion.
We're not an ISP. We don't sell internet service or own network assets. Our business is project management: the disciplined, detail-oriented work of turning a fiber plan into a built network. We work alongside ISPs, private equity-backed telecom companies, and municipalities to handle the complex operational side of fiber deployment.
This distinction matters. Because we don't compete with our clients, we can be fully aligned with their success. Your network performing well is our only measure of a job well done.
Our approach is straightforward:
- 1Understand the market and validate the business case
- 2Build a detailed deployment plan with realistic timelines
- 3Coordinate every stakeholder: engineers, contractors, municipalities, and utilities
- 4Manage the build with tight budget and quality controls
- 5Deliver a network that performs on day one
Leadership
The team behind Coastal Communications brings decades of telecom infrastructure, finance, and project management experience.
Mark Metcalf
Co-Founder
Career spanning finance, project management, and strategic planning in telecom, with deep expertise in fiber optic deployment for rural and underserved communities.
Stephen John
Co-Founder
Over four decades of leadership in wireless and cable sectors, including establishing the business services division at Charter Communications and scaling American Broadband/UNSI to a profitable exit.
Wood Ford
Project Management
Extensive experience in project management and procurement for telecom infrastructure in Savannah, with a deep understanding of the complexities in deploying critical connectivity projects.
Barnes Ford
Project Management
Significant experience in telecom infrastructure project management in Savannah, with a direct leadership style and deep understanding of deployment complexities that drive project success.
Regional Experience
Our focus on the Southeast, particularly coastal Georgia, gives us advantages that national firms can't match. We know the permitting processes in these counties. We know which subcontractors deliver quality work. We understand the unique challenges of deploying fiber in rural and semi-rural markets.
This regional depth means fewer surprises, faster timelines, and builds that go right the first time.
Built on Strong Partnerships
We don't try to do everything ourselves. Our strength comes from a carefully built network of engineering firms, construction contractors, and equipment suppliers across the Southeast. These relationships, developed over years of working together in the field, are what allow us to consistently deliver on time and on spec.
When you work with Coastal Communications, you get the benefit of an entire regional ecosystem of proven telecom professionals, coordinated by a team that knows how to get the most from every one of them.
