Internet Isn't a Tenant Cost...It's an NOI Lever - with Adam Bell

Real Estate Underground

Real Estate Underground
Internet Isn't a Tenant Cost...It's an NOI Lever - with Adam Bell
May 12, 2026 Season 5 Episode 194
Ed Mathews

Most multifamily operators treat internet as a tenant problem or a cost line they grumble about. Adam Bell, Founder and CEO of Internet Subway, says they're leaving real money on the table.

Adam runs a modern ISP focused exclusively on apartment communities. His company delivers fiber-to-the-unit (FTTU) in bulk to property owners, who pass it to residents as an included utility and capture the rent spread. Industry data shows 5 to 15% NOI uplift on well-executed bulk deployments. The math alone is worth the conversation.

But the bigger reframe is the one Ed pulls out of him halfway through: the fiber itself is an asset. Billions are flowing into fiber networks nationally. Property owners are in a rare position to own a portion of that infrastructure, a 30-year asset hiding in their own buildings.

In this episode:

  • The bulk internet math on a value-add multifamily deal, and how an owner should actually underwrite it
  • Why "managed WiFi" gets oversold and what to insist on instead
  • Bulk internet versus experience, and why the difference matters more than the price
  • Fiber as a 30-year asset class that scales in capacity, not maintenance
  • The contrarian take from his industry piece "Managed Wi-Fi isn't all it's cracked up to be"

If you're an operator, syndicator, or value-add multifamily investor, this is the episode that turns a cost line into a revenue line and reframes the building itself as a fiber asset.

This week's recommended book: The Confident Mind by Nate Zinzer

Guest: Adam Bell, Founder and CEO, Internet Subway

Website: internetsubway.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adamlloydb

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Additional Resources:

Social Media:

  • LinkedIn -> Ed Mathews (President at Clark St and Elevista)

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