Astound has appointed Ettienne Brandt as chief executive officer, effective immediately. Brandt will lead the company as it prepares for a planned combination with GFiber (formerly Google Fiber), announced on 11 March, which would create the largest independent fibre-based broadband provider in the United States. Brandt brings over 25 years of telecommunications experience. He most recently served as executive vice president, commercial at Frontier Communications, playing a key role in the company's transformation that led to its $20 billion sale to Verizon. He has previously worked for British Telecom, EE, Orange and Virgin Media. Astound provides internet, Wi-Fi, mobile, TV and fibre-optic solutions across multiple US states, including Texas, California and New York.

For the Pacific Northwest tech corridor, the deal is the latest chapter for a business born in Kirkland, Wash., as Wave Broadband. Founded by Steve Weed, Wave grew into a dominant regional challenger to traditional cable giants.