Building Broadband: Brightspeed brings fiber to Nash and Edgecombe, NC Counties; Fidium lights up Waterbury, VT with multi-gig services

Brightspeed turns up network Network Across Nash and Edgecombe, NC Counties
Brightspeed launched its fiber internet services for families and businesses in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and across Nash and Edgecombe Counties. The company’s investment in the area means 33,000 more North Carolinians can access fiber connectivity. In its home state of North Carolina, Brightspeed has invested in reaching 800,000 locations with its fiber network, and nearly 285,000 families and businesses already have access to Brightspeed Fiber Internet. In addition, the North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program funds, together with the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants awarded Brightspeed approximately $177 million in funding. This additional funding will extend the company’s planned fiber network build to 81,000 more North Carolina households and businesses across 41 counties, including Nash and Edgecombe Counties.

Fidium Fiber comes to the Waterbury, VT area
Waterbury and Moretown, Vt. Homes and businesses can now access Consolidated’s Fidium Fiber service. The service provider has rolled out the service to over 2,200 locations, offering 2 Gbps symmetrical fiber-based multi-gigabit broadband services. Over 110,000 Vermont homes and businesses have access to Fidium, including Barre and Montpelier, with additional availability coming soon for Morristown, Stowe, and other Lamoille FiberNet Communications Union District communities, as well as more locations across the country.

GoNetspeed lights fiber internet in Middletown, CT
Soon, Middletown, CT residents, and businesses will be able to access GoNetspeed’s fiber-based broadband service. Middletown will be the next Connecticut community to gain access to GoNetspeed’s multi-gigabit fiber internet. Under the company’s fully-funded $2.4 million investment in Middletown, over 3,000 homes and businesses will gain high-speed internet of up to 2 Gbps. GoNetspeed expects construction to begin this fall with the first customers connected soon after.

Kinetic becomes Lexington, KY’s Gatton Park’s Wi-Fi provider
Kinetic is equipping Downtown Lexington’s Gatton Park on the Town Branch with public Wi-Fi in a nearly $1 million, multi-year deal to be the park’s exclusive Wi-Fi provider. As part of the network build, Kinetic will install and sustain Wi-Fi gateways (modems/routers) throughout the park enabling free Wi-Fi availability throughout the 10-plus acres for the next decade. The park is expected to be completed in 2025. Just steps from Rupp Arena, the park will feature a 4,500-capacity amphitheater, playground, water play, dog park, gardens, public art, cafe and other amenities.

Metronet reaches the midpoint of its $24M Waterloo, Iowa fiber build
Metronet's $24 million fiber-optic network in Waterloo is more than halfway completed, with thousands of residents and businesses already able to subscribe to symmetrical multi-gigabit internet service. Residential customers in Waterloo can now access up to 5 Gbps speeds, while business customers can access up to 10 Gbps. Full completion of the project is expected in early 2025, at which time Waterloo will join the ranks of the nation’s leading cities as a Certified Gigabit City Powered by Metronet.