Building Broadband: Brightspeed brings fiber broadband to Killeen, Texas; Comporium lights up multi-gig broadband in York and Lancaster, SC Counties

Brightspeed launches high-speed fiber broadband in Killeen, Texas
Brightspeed recently launched its fiber internet service in Killeen, Texas, reaching over 35,000 homes and businesses in the city and surrounding Bell County. However, this is just the beginning. Brightspeed said that nearly 79,000 locations will be connected when it completes its build.

These projects require over $5.4 million in investment to extend the company’s fiber network and provide customers in rural areas with internet speeds of up to 5 Gbps. Comporium extended its network to 647 addresses in Lancaster County. The company partnered with York Electric Cooperative (YEC) in York County to access 373 addresses to connect to Comporium’s fiber network. Comporium and YEC have worked together over the past few years to bring gigabit speeds to thousands of YEC customers throughout rural York County.

Conexon Connect’s Missouri project brings fiber broadband to 13.5K rural homes and businesses
Conexon Connect, the ISP formed by rural fiber broadband enabler Conexon, completed its inaugural Missouri fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) project, marking its fifth network completion nationwide. Launched in partnership with Osage Valley Electric Cooperative in 2021, the project enables fiber internet access for 13,500 homes and businesses across seven rural Missouri counties. The Connect network, owned by Osage Valley Electric Cooperative and spanning over 3,200 miles, was completed in less than three years.

Dobson Fiber to expand fiber internet to Minco, Okla. 
Dobson Fiber has broken ground on its latest fiber internet build in Minco, Okla. Construction of the network will be completed in geographic zones. Once each zone is nearing completion, residents will be notified when they can begin to sign up for service. Today, Dobson Fiber’s network includes more than 38 communities across a wide geographic area in Oklahoma and five diverse communities in Arkansas. It continues to deliver broadband solutions to rural and urban communities. Dobson Fiber will provide 10 Gbps speeds to residents and 100 Gbps to businesses, which it claims is the lowest latency in its footprint, by leveraging Dobson’s high-capacity optical middle-mile network.

Frontier Donates fiber Internet to Connecticut's RiseUP Group
Through its Broadband for Good program, Frontier has donated high-speed fiber internet to the nonprofit RiseUP Group in Hartford, Conn. This will provide RiseUP with connectivity to power its art and education initiatives, inspiring and uplifting communities across Connecticut. Broadband for Good is Frontier's commitment to advancing digital inclusion and strengthening the communities it serves. This is Frontier’s fourth Broadband for Good donation in Connecticut so far. The company has also powered District Arts and Education (DAE), which expands access to STEM opportunities for high schoolers and adults in New Haven; the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield, which offers thousands of kids a safe place to learn and grow; and Malta House, a women’s transitional housing program in Norwalk that empowers new moms and their babies to get back on their feet.

Grafton County, NH, and eX² Technology commence middle-mile fiber build
eX² Technology, Grafton County Board of Commissioners, and the Grafton County Broadband Committee celebrated the official construction kickoff of an over 200-mile, $17 million fiber middle-mile network to expand broadband throughout Grafton County, New Hampshire. The Grafton County middle-mile project is a critical anchor point in bringing reliable, high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved Grafton County communities. The middle-mile backbone will link to 25 municipalities within the county and a key connection point at Plymouth State University. It will also support future tie-ins to networks in adjacent New Hampshire counties and within the State of Vermont.  

The Grafton County Board of Commissioners selected eX² Technology to design and build the middle-mile network in 2021. The company designed and is constructing the middle-mile infrastructure as an open-access network, allowing internet service providers to connect to homes and businesses. The project is being partially funded through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure grant program, totaling $12 million in funding. The construction phase will continue over the next several months. The project is expected to be completed in December 2025.

Intrepid begins building out fiber in Broomfield, CO.
Intrepid Fiber Networks recently held a groundbreaking ceremony in Broomfield, Colorado, where construction and installation of a city-wide fiber broadband network is set to begin. Working closely with the city, Intrepid secured a license agreement in August to deploy a high-speed fiber broadband network. Intrepid had initially announced the expansion of its network into Broomfield in May, along with other North Denver Metro area cities, establishing a solid presence in the region. Broomfield residents can expect high-speed internet to be available in early 2025.