Brightspeed has been awarded more than $213 million in local, state, and federal grants to deploy fiber broadband networks in 12 states.
In North Carolina — Brightspeed’s home state — the Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) and the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) program will provide about $177 million to connect approximately 81,000 households.
Brightspeed is now committed to bringing fiber to more than 880,000 locations in the state.
NCDIT awards, which also were made to numerous other providers, will be used by Brightspeed to help provide broadband in 14 counties.
Brightspeed Awards Beyond North Carolina
Brightspeed said it also was awarded $35.4 million in additional grants for deployment to 28,000 locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
These new Brightspeed awards add to the company’s commitment of more than $2 billion to provide high-speed networks to more than three million locations in 17 of the 20 states in its footprint.
“[T]hese additional funds have added significantly more locations to our planned network build; we could ultimately reach 6.5 million homes and businesses within our 20-state footprint,” said Pamela Sherwood, Vice President, Broadband Office at Brightspeed.
The company reported that it now provides broadband to more than 1.2 million homes and businesses in more than 160 communities.
Much of the size of the Brightspeed footprint is a result of Apollo Management’s acquisition of Lumen’s ILEC operations, which closed in October 2022. Brightspeed made significant investments and local approvals before that deal was finalized.
Preparations also included assembling a management team featuring executives who previously had worked on Verizon Fios’ broadband rollout.
Information about awards in North Carolina and elsewhere can be found in Telecompetitor’s Broadband Nation section.
