Brightspeed Awarded $22.5M in Funding, Further Expanding Access to High-Speed Internet in North Carolina
June 20 2024 - 11:19AM
Brightspeed, the nation’s fourth largest fiber broadband builder
focused on empowering more homes with ultrafast, reliable internet,
announced that it has been awarded $22.5 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., and the N.C. Department of Information
Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity
Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) funds will fund the expansion
of Brightspeed’s fiber network build to nearly 10,000 more
locations in Beaufort, Chatham, Jones, Pamlico, Pasquotank and Pitt
counties.
“Here in our home state, we are already making a
multi-million-dollar investment to bring high speed internet
service to communities in North Carolina where residents previously
had limited access to quality high-speed internet services,” said
Steve Brewer, Brightspeed director of government affairs and public
policy. “There are already more than 170,000 North Carolina
families and businesses who have access to Brightspeed Fiber
Internet. Now, thanks to this grant funding, we can make our
investment go further to give North Carolinians a more reliable,
faster option for internet connectivity.”
“The Completing Access to Broadband program creates a
collaborative process between counties, the state and internet
service providers to quickly launch broadband expansion projects to
benefit North Carolina communities,” said NCDIT Secretary and State
Chief Information Officer Jim Weaver. “We appreciate the work
Brightspeed is doing to help close our state’s digital divide so
more residents can participate in all of today’s crucial online
services.”
The CAB program funds and Growing Rural Economies with Access to
Technology (GREAT) grants awarded to Brightspeed provide nearly
$131 million in funding so far to help connect approximately 70,000
North Carolina households and businesses across 38 counties to its
blazing fast network. 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
pr@brightspeed.com