Brightspeed says it plans to deploy fiber to the home (FTTH) past up to 40,000 premises by the end of 2023 during the first phase of its FTTH initiative in Pennsylvania. The company expects to pass another 150,000 or more in subsequent years. The deployments will focus on markets within Cumberland, Lancaster, and York counties.
Pennsylvania is among the 20 states that will compose Brightspeed's operating territory when the company is finally formed. Brightspeed will mainly consist of the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) assets and associated operations of Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) that are the subject of a pending acquisition by Apollo-managed funds (NYSE: APO; see "Lumen to sell CenturyLink ILECs in 20 states to Apollo Funds" and “Former Lumen ILEC operations rebrand as Brightspeed, reveal FTTH ambitions”). Lumen and Apollo expect to obtain final FCC approval of the deal in the third quarter of this year and close the transaction in early fourth quarter.
The fact that the deal hasn’t closed hasn’t prevented the announcement of FTTH deployment plans; company management says they will spend more than $2 billion to bring FTTH to up to 3 million homes and businesses over the next five years (see, for example, "Brightspeed sets FTTH target for 2023" and "Brightspeed unveils Alabama fiber network plan for 120,000 fiber-enabled locations").
"We believe that broadband is a thread that connects us all together," said Chris Creager, chief administration officer of Brightspeed. "Our common experiences over the last couple of years have further magnified the importance of a reliable internet connection to empower people and businesses to participate and thrive in the digital economy, healthcare infrastructure, and education system."
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.