Building Broadband: Archtop Fiber raises $200M to accelerate Northeast market expansion; Brightspeed wins $31.2M in broadband funding to extend service to 18K more NC homes

Archtop Fiber raises $200M to accelerate Northeast market expansion
Archtop Fiber has successfully closed $200 million in new funding from Chicago-based Monroe Capital to execute its aggressive market expansion plans in the Northeast. In addition to private financing, Archtop Fiber leverages public investments to support ongoing fiber builds in its territories, including the ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Grant Program and $10.4 million in grants to improve Internet access in public and affordable housing for Massachusetts residents.

Brightspeed wins $31.2M in broadband funding to extend service to 18K more NC homes
Brightspeed has been awarded $31.2 million to expand its fiber network in North Carolina. The provider will match these Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program funds with more than $13 million of its investment to reach more than 18,000 additional locations in 20 counties. The N.C. Department of Information Technology's (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity CAB program funds, together with the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants awarded to Brightspeed, provide approximately $218.6 million in funding to help connect nearly 99,000 North Carolina households and businesses across 41 counties to its network. Between these grants and the company's investment, Brightspeed is all-in on bringing its fiber-enabled network to nearly 899,000 locations in its home state.

Comcast to connect 13K new homes and businesses in Middletown, DE
Comcast’s broadband Internet is now available to more homes and businesses in Middletown, DE, including Middletown Apartments and the Brickmill Farm neighborhood, as part of a network expansion that will reach 13,000 additional homes and businesses. The expansion brings Internet, mobile, entertainment, and security services from Xfinity and Comcast Business to residents and businesses for the first time.

Highline opens up fiber broadband orders for Michigan's Thumb region
With the Michigan winter weather behind it, Highline has begun accepting orders for fiber internet service in the state’s Thumb region. Since 2021, Highline has been delivering reliable fiber optic internet access to rural and underserved areas across Sanilac, Tuscola, Lapeer, and St. Clair counties. Highline is actively burying fiber drops in regional neighborhoods as part of this effort, with construction crews now at work as weather conditions allow.

Kinetic expands fiber reach in North Carolina and Texas
Kinetic has hatched plans to bring high-speed internet to homes and businesses as part of the latest projects authorized under the state’s Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program. The provider was selected to connect 436 Davidson County and 945 Anson County locations to its multi-gig fiber network. The cost of the projects will be split between the government and Kinetic. Davidson County’s state funding was $2.24 million, while Anson County’s project included $2.2 million. Kinetic’s private capital investment will be approximately $1.9 million for the counties. 

In Texas, Kinetic has broken ground on a new $13 million fiber build to bring service to Fort Bend County that will connect over 22,000 households. The Fort Bend project will build fiber connections to an estimated 2,200 households each month over the year. Some of the neighborhoods that can expect to benefit from the over 330 planned miles of fiber optic internet upgrade by the end of 2025 include Stratford Park, Orchard Lake Estates, Sugar Creek, Austin Park Courtyard, Colony Meadows, Lexington Meadows, and Crescent Lakes.

Lyte Fiber sets plan to bring fiber network to Uvalde, Texas, and surrounding communities
Lyte Fiber is launching a multi-gigabit regional fiber network anchored by an initial buildout in Uvalde, Texas. The provider is investing nearly $10 million to bring its resilient, high-speed technology to Uvalde, marking a step forward in enhancing the city's digital infrastructure. Construction in Uvalde will begin in April, with the first customers expected to be online early this summer. In the initial phase, Lyte will connect over 6,500 homes and businesses, installing around 90 miles of fiber optic cable throughout the city.

Uvalde is a central hub in Lyte's broader effort to expand broadband access across South Texas. The company is investing an additional $9 million to build fiber networks in Carrizo Springs, Crystal City, and Pearsall. This regional initiative showcases Lyte's long-term commitment to transforming connectivity in the area with next-generation infrastructure. Construction of the nearly 8,000 homes and businesses throughout Carrizo Springs, Pearsall, and Crystal City will begin in early summer, with residents in those communities expected to come online later in the summer. Besides expanding internet access, Lyte is pledging 1 percent of its annual profits to support local nonprofits, youth programs, and community initiatives.

Spectrum targets rural Wisconsin with gigabit broadband
Spectrum is expanding Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 230 homes and small businesses in previously unserved or underserved addresses in portions of northeast Dane County and southeast Columbia County, Wisconsin. The cable MSO’s multi-year Rural Construction Initiative is driven by an approximately $7 billion private investment from Charter. It will ultimately connect approximately 1.7 million new homes and small businesses nationwide. This latest effort includes portions of the Village of Windsor and the towns of Bristol and Hampden in the rural area north of U.S. 151 between Sun Prairie and Columbus.

TDS expands rural Grant County, Wisconsin, fiber reach
TDS Telecom has broken ground on a new fiber project to connect more than 1,200 rural Grant County, Wisconsin, addresses. Residents and businesses in the area, including locations in the townships of Beetown, Ellenboro, Harrison, Lancaster, North and South Lancaster, Liberty, Little Grant, Potosi, and Waterloo, will gain super-fast internet speeds up to 1 Gbps, with some locations having access to up to 8 Gbps. TDS’ Farmer’s Telephone Company was awarded more than $1.55 million by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in late 2023 to bring fiber-to-the-home connections to more than 800 Grant County addresses. The telco is investing $7.1 million to complete the project and reach approximately 400 additional addresses. This extra fiber extension comes thanks to the FCC’s Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model program (E-ACAM). TDS is leveraging E-ACAM to enable broadband service in 24 states.