Building Broadband: AT&T secures $3M in California last-mile funds; Brightspeed brings fiber internet show to Wake Forest, North Carolina

AT&T secures $3M in California last-mile funds
AT&T received $3 million from California’s recently approved $9.2 million broadband grant program for five projects to connect 2,086 unserved locations throughout Tuolumne County. Besides AT&T, Sierra Nevada Communications secured $6.2 million across four grants. This round of funding follows a larger round announced at the end of January where the state approved $48 million for eight broadband infrastructure projects, including: $17 million for three projects in Fresno County, $15 million for three projects in Lake County, and $17 million for two projects in Sonoma County. In all, these projects will connect 5,714 locations. AT&T received $20.1 million for projects in Fresno and Lake Counties; Mediacom won $8 million in Lake County; and Comcast won $1.7 million in Fresno County. Both grants in Sonoma County ($17 million) went to a partnership between WiConduit and GigabitNow.

Brightspeed brings fiber internet show to Wake Forest, North Carolina
Brightspeed has made Wake Forest, NC, the next target community for its fiber-based internet service. The service provider’s network reaches nearly 2,000 families and businesses across Wake and Franklin counties. By the end of Brightspeed’s build, almost 24,000 locations across the area will be connected. North Carolina currently ranks 38th in the nation in terms of internet coverage, speed, and availability, according to BroadbandNow, with six in ten North Carolina residents unable to purchase a fiber internet plan.

eX² Technology to build middle mile network Pima County, Arizona
eX² Technology has secured an agreement to deliver a $43.2 million fiber middle mile network in Pima County, Arizona. The open-access fiber network will enable high-speed internet access to support remote learning, telework, telehealth, and more while fostering digital equity and inclusion. Pima County secured partial funds through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Enabling Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program, receiving a five-year grant totaling $30.3 million. It also created a dedicated digital inclusion and infrastructure action plan, Connect Pima, to drive equitable access to reliable broadband connectivity.

Pima County selected eX² Technology to design and build a 134-mile fiber network ring around its urban core, laying the groundwork for future broadband expansion. The middle-mile network will reduce the cost for last-mile providers to connect unserved and underserved communities. The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved the project award to eX² Technology in 2024. Completion of Pima County's middle-mile network is anticipated in the Fall of 2027.

Fidium brings fiber connectivity to Westbrook, Maine
Fidium has expanded its multi-gig, symmetrical-speed internet service to Westbrook and parts of Gorham, bringing its future-proof fiber network to more than 7,700 homes and businesses. Today, more than 294,000 Maine homes and businesses, including those in Cumberland, Falmouth, and Portland, have access to Fidium. Construction is underway in Windham and Standish, and additional expansion is planned in Gorham.

GoNetspeed starts lighting Danbury, CT, customers with fiber broadband
GoNetspeed, through a privately funded $7.6 million investment, is now starting to connect local Danbury, CT, consumers and businesses to two key speeds: 500 Mbps up to 2 Gbps. After completing the construction, more than 14,300 homes and businesses will be connected to GoNetspeed’s future-proof network. As construction progresses, homes and businesses will be connected, neighborhood by neighborhood. GoNetspeed expects the entire construction process to be complete by this summer. More than 40 communities throughout the state have access to GoNetspeed services.

Metronet wraps its Des Moines, IA, fiber build
Metronet has completed constructing its $70 million fiber network in Des Moines, Iowa. The city now has access to symmetrical, multigigabit internet speeds, with residential options up to five gigabits per second and business speeds up to ten gigabits per second. The service provider has also built fiber-optic networks in nearby Ankeny, Altoona, Carlisle, Clive, Grimes, Johnston, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, Saylorville, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights. Metronet has invested more than $130 million to bring world-class internet infrastructure to communities in the greater Des Moines area. While the initial planned build is mainly complete, residents can expect to see continued smaller expansion projects throughout the community as Metronet’s network grows alongside the growth of Des Moines.

PhireLink employs broadband wireless for its Louisiana BEAD grant build
PhireLink, an internet service provider (ISP) in three Southern states, has secured BEAD funding to cover unserved and underserved locations in Louisiana with fiber and broadband wireless technology. By deploying an ngFWA-powered network from Tarana, PhireLink said its deployment will cost roughly half of what it would take to reach their BEAD serviceable locations (BSLs) with fiber, without degrading service speed or reliability for the end-user. PhireLink is already finding success with ngFWA in Slidell, Louisiana, covering more than 16,000 homes from a single tower. While hundreds of these residents only previously had access to 1 Mbps service through legacy solutions, now they can select plans from 100 to 500 Mbps. 

Vero Fiber breaks ground on Corsicana, TX, fiber broadband network
Vero Fiber has become the first broadband provider to break ground on a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network in Corsicana, Texas. This network will deliver XGS-PON technology capable of delivering up to 10 Gbps speeds. This project will provide Corsicana residents and businesses with fiber-based broadband. The City of Corsicana has worked with Vero Fiber to address the growing need for improved broadband access through right-of-way use coordination and a land lease to establish Vero's fiber headend facility.