Uniti Group sets deal
for Alabama fibers
Uniti Group Inc. will add new fiber optic lines in Alabama to support a 20-year deal with a heavy data user, the Little Rock company announced Thursday.
The unnamed Montgomery-based hyperscaler -- an intensive data processor that provides cloud services -- will be supported by 90 new miles of fiber that will link to Mobile, Ala.
"The demand for AI-optimized infrastructure continues to create a significant opportunity for Uniti where our operational presence aligns with availability of the required land and power," said Greg Ortyl, Uniti's president of wholesale & strategic accounts, in making the announcement.
The new route will link key data center locations and points-of-presence to ring the Montgomery metropolitan area, allowing for connections from all directions.
Uniti has a proposal pending, going through the regulatory approval process, to acquire Windstream Holdings Inc. in a $13.4 billion deal projected to close next year.
-- Andrew Moreau
Hyundai urges Nexo
owners park safely
DETROIT -- Hyundai is telling the owners of nearly 1,600 Nexo hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the United States and Canada to park them outdoors and away from structures because of a risk of fuel leaks and possible fires.
The Korean automaker is recalling the hydrogen-powered SUVs from the 2019 through 2024 model years.
Hyundai said in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that a pressure relief device can break and cause a hydrogen leak. That could cause a fire even while the SUVs are parked.
The company says the SUVs can still be driven but should be parked outside until repairs are made.
Hyundai says it has no reports of fires anywhere across the globe.
Owners will be notified by letter starting Dec. 10. Dealers will replace the pressure release devices.
The automaker said in a statement that it's doing the recall "to ensure the safety of its customers."
Owners with questions can go to autoservice.hyundaiusa.com/campaignhome or call Hyundai customer service at (800) 633-5151.
-- The Associated Press
Arkansas Index falls
6.01, rests at 899.79
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Thursday at 899.79, down 6.01 points.
Shares of Bank OZK rose 2.4% to lead the index. Dillard's shares rose 0.43%. Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services fell 3.7%.
"Strong retail sales data for September dampened interest rate cut expectations with equities closing moderately unchanged as the energy and information technology sectors outperformed," said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.