Building Broadband: Comcast lights up broadband for 18.5K Northeastern Pennsylvania locations; Fidium begins fiber construction in Boothbay, Maine

Comcast lights up broadband for 18.5K Northeastern Pennsylvania locations
Comcast has connected more than 18,500 new homes and businesses across Lackawanna, Luzerne and Columbia Counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania to broadband Internet by expanding its network. The network expansion brings Internet, mobile, entertainment, and security services from Xfinity and Comcast Business to residents and businesses in the following areas for the first time:

• Lackawanna County: Carbondale Township, Fell Townships, City of Carbondale
• Luzerne County: Newport Township, Conyngham Township, Hunlock Township, Plymouth Township, Shickshinny Borough, Union Township, Salem Township
• Columbia County: Berwick Borough, Briar Creek Borough, Briar Creek Township

This expansion is part of the company’s latest investment in Northeastern Pennsylvania, following recently completed network expansions to more than 28,000 homes and businesses in Jermyn, Mayfield Boroughs, and the City of Wilkes-Barre. Over 6,600 residents and businesses in Carbon, Schuylkill and additional parts of Luzerne County will soon be able to connect to our network, with an expansion project underway.

Fidium begins fiber construction in Boothbay, Maine
Fidium is continuing the expansion of its all-fiber internet network in Lincoln County. More than 6,800 homes and businesses in Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, and Southport will soon have access to Fidium’s symmetrical, multi-gig speed service. Fiber infrastructure construction is scheduled to begin as soon as March 10, with start dates varying by location. More than 40,000 Lincoln County-area homes and businesses will gain access to Fidium through network expansion, with construction already underway in Edgecomb, Waldoboro, Whitefield and Wiscasset, as well as parts of Alna, Nobleboro and Westport Island. Additional construction is planned for later this spring in Dresden and Woolwich in Sagadahoc County. Fiber expansion is partly funded through a grant from the Maine Connectivity Authority, with additional funding from the Lincoln County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants and private investment from Fidium.

ImOn Communications extends fiber internet network to Southeast Iowa
ImOn Communications is expanding its fiber network to five communities in southeast Iowa: Burlington, West Burlington, Keokuk, Fort Madison, and Mount Pleasant. Construction will begin this spring in Burlington and West Burlington. The three other communities will follow. ImOn has already started preliminary work on network design in these cities, collaborating with city officials during the early planning phases. The ImOn team will continue to communicate with the appropriate city officials and the broader community to keep them informed of all construction plans. Once construction is complete and service is live in each community, homes will have access to Internet speeds up to 1 Gbps, and businesses will have access to up to 10 Gbps.

Lumos takes its fiber show to Georgia
Lumos has made its broadband debut in Georgia, investing 5,000 miles of fiber internet infrastructure across the state. As part of its first expansion into the state, Lumos will provide more than 320,000 homes and businesses in Georgia communities with access to fiber-based internet. So far, the expansion into Georgia has effectively doubled Lumos’s operational footprint since January, marking its ninth state of operation. Lumos will build its fiber network across Clayton, Forsyth and Muscogee County, servicing the cities of Columbus, College Park, Cumming, Forest Park, Jonesboro, Lake City, Lovejoy, Morrow and Riverdale. Construction for the expansion is underway.

Nexstream raises $113.5M to expand fiber broadband in Texas’s Burleson and Edwards Counties
Nexstream has secured $113.5 million in funding from the Texas BDO BOOT II grant program to expand fiber broadband to underserved areas in Burleson and Edwards Counties. The service provider has received two grants:

• $77.5 million for Edwards County – enabling the construction of over 1,100 miles of fiber to reach over 2,700 homes, businesses, and community spaces.
• $36 million for Burleson County – Facilitating the deployment of 500+ miles of fiber to connect more than 5,000 locations.

Together, these projects will deliver robust, future-ready broadband infrastructure to over 3,700 rural locations. Nexstream’s projects in Burleson and Edwards Counties are part of the $701.9 million in grants awarded across 20 counties, supporting over 93,000 underserved locations.

United Communications reaches 100K locations with fiber
United Communications’ fiber broadband network now reaches 100,000 locations, making it the dominant provider across an 11-county service area, including Greater Nashville. Since reaching 50,000 locations served at the end of 2022, United has accelerated its buildout, adding more than 1,100 route miles to its regional infrastructure. This growth has increased the network’s reach and enhanced its speed and reliability. Building on its network expansion momentum, in November 2024, the company announced the launch of its 8 Gbps fiber internet, the fastest residential broadband connection available in Middle Tennessee.

Vero Fiber’s Montana Digital acquisition deepens Montana fiber broadband reach
Vero Broadband has acquired Montana Digital, which operates under the MtnMax brand, furthering its market expansion efforts. Montana Digital is a fiber broadband and enterprise connectivity provider serving Kalispell, Columbia Falls, Whitefish, and Bigfork, Montana. The acquisition extends Vero’s footprint into Montana while strengthening its multi-state fiber service provider position. Vero will continue operating these assets under the MtnMax brand, ensuring continuity while enhancing network capabilities. However, FTTH service is just one part of what the acquisition brings. Vero plans to leverage Montana Digital's infrastructure to support its wholesale and enterprise services under the Vero Fiber Networks division while exploring further broadband expansion opportunities in adjacent markets.