Crosstown Vision: Mike Underdown on scaling Fiber in America cities

Crosstown Vision: Mike Underdown on scaling Fiber in America cities

Author: Broadstaff June 11, 2025 Duration: 30:24

In this episode, Mike Underdown, Founder and CEO of Crosstown Fiber, shares his remarkable journey through the telecom industry — from pioneering CLECs to founding one of Chicago’s most unique underground fiber infrastructure companies. Mike discusses how Crosstown Fiber is building diverse, high-capacity fiber routes critical to data center interconnection and why planning and engineering are key to avoiding costly connectivity issues. He also opens up about surviving stage four cancer and how that experience shaped his company’s values, leadership style, and culture of doing the right thing — because it’s right.


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In a world built on invisible signals and physical networks, Let's Get Digital with Carrie Charles pulls back the curtain on the entire ecosystem that keeps us connected. This isn't about abstract tech concepts; it's a grounded look at the business and management realities behind wireless towers, sprawling fiber routes, and humming data centers. Carrie Charles, bringing her perspective as Broadstaff's CEO, guides these discussions with a focus on the human element driving change. You'll hear unfiltered dialogues with the executives, engineers, and strategists who are literally laying the groundwork for our digital future. Their conversations naturally explore the tough decisions, emerging technologies, and career paths defining the infrastructure landscape. The podcast digs into how trends like edge computing or new deployment models actually get managed and financed on the ground. It’s for anyone curious about the backbone of modern life-the complex, competitive, and fascinating business of digital infrastructure. Each episode aims to connect the dots between technological potential and practical execution, offering listeners a unique insider’s view they won’t find in a press release.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

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