Brightspeed Awarded Another $29.3M in Funding, Adding ~11K More Locations to its High-Speed Network in North Carolina
July 02 2024 - 8:30AM
Brightspeed, the nation’s fourth largest fiber broadband builder
focused on empowering more homes with ultrafast, reliable internet,
announced that it has been awarded an additional $29.3 million to
expand its state-of-the-art fiber broadband network to even more
North Carolina residents and small businesses. Brightspeed is
already investing to connect nearly 800,000 locations across the
state of North Carolina as part of its strategic build. The N.C.
Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of
Broadband and Digital Equity Completing Access to Broadband (CAB)
program funds will now fund the expansion of Brightspeed’s fiber
network build to nearly 11,000 more locations in Burke, Cumberland,
Edgecombe, Franklin, Harnett, Martin, Northampton, Pamlico and
Warren counties.
“We have been investing in our home state since Brightspeed
launched, already giving more than 170,000 North Carolinians access
to our blazing fast fiber network,” said Steve Brewer, Brightspeed
director of government affairs and public policy. “With this
additional investment from the state and counties, we are now able
to bring even more homes and businesses the high-speed connectivity
they need to thrive in today’s connected world.”
Last month, Brightspeed announced it was awarded $22.5 million
by NCDIT and CAB program funds to build nearly 10,000 more
locations in Beaufort, Chatham, Jones, Pamlico, Pasquotank and Pitt
counties. Together, the CAB program funds and Growing Rural
Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants awarded to
Brightspeed provide approximately $177 million in funding so far to
help connect approximately 81,000 North Carolina households and
businesses across 41 counties to its blazing fast network. This
brings Brightspeed’s total commitment in its home state to more
than 880,000 fiber-enabled locations.
“The Completing Access to Broadband program drives collaboration
between the state, individual counties and internet service
providers to quickly get broadband projects underway for North
Carolinians,” said NCDIT Secretary and State Chief Information
Officer Jim Weaver. “Through these and previous CAB program awards,
Brightspeed will be helping residents and businesses in 14 counties
access high-speed internet so they can work, learn and connect with
others online.”
The GREAT and CAB programs provide matching funds to internet
service providers like Brightspeed that may partner with individual
North Carolina counties for funding to expand high-speed internet
service to unserved and underserved areas of the state.
Brightspeed is investing $2 billion in deploying next-generation
fiber-optic technology to build a more reliable, super-fast
broadband internet network that will reach more than three million
homes and businesses across 20 states. In addition to the company’s
multi-million-dollar investment in deploying its fiber broadband
network in North Carolina communities, Brightspeed continues to
pursue additional state and federal funding to augment its current
fiber network build plan to help close the state’s digital
divide.
About BrightspeedHeadquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and
with assets and associated operations in 20 states, Brightspeed
provides broadband and telecommunications services through a
network platform capable of serving more than 6.5 million homes and
businesses. Our more than 4,000 employees are committed to building
a future where more communities benefit from a more connected life,
deploying a state-of-the-art fiber network and a customer
experience that makes being connected as simple as it should be.
For more information, please visit www.brightspeed.com.
Gene Rodriguez Miller
Brightspeed
9803761837
gene.miller@brightspeed.com