Building Broadband: Comcast’s Edinburgh, Indiana expansion brings service to over 2K residents and businesses; Fidium begins fiber broadband network construction in Bath, Maine
Comcast, Fidium, Glo Fiber, Kinetic, Lyte Fiber, Metronet, Right Fiber and Surf Internet use public and private funding sources to expand broadband availability in various communities.
Comcast’s Edinburgh, Indiana expansion brings service to over 2K residents and businesses
Comcast’s network construction in Edinburgh, Indiana, is nearly complete, connecting more than 2,300 homes, businesses, and essential services to broadband. The cable MSO’s expansion to Edinburgh brings Internet, mobile, and security services from Xfinity and Comcast Business to residents and businesses for the first time. Over two dozen essential services and government buildings will also be connected, including the Edinburgh fire and rescue station, the Edinburgh police station, the Edinburgh town hall, and the John R. Drybread Community Center.
Fidium begins fiber broadband network construction in Bath, Maine
Fidium is expanding its fiber internet network in Bath, Maine, bringing gigabit-speed internet to more than 9,600 homes and businesses. Fiber infrastructure construction is scheduled to begin as early as April 18, with start dates varying by location. Today, more than 360,000 Maine homes and businesses, including Brunswick and Harpswell, have access to Fidium, with more communities across the state set to go live this year.
Glo Fiber expands fiber network in York County, PA
Glo Fiber has agreed to deploy fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband services to Dover Township and Dover Borough in York County, Pennsylvania. Glo Fiber will bring its fiber network to approximately 7,000 homes and businesses in the area, adding to the 23,000 homes and businesses throughout the County with Glo Fiber service already available. Construction in the Dover area is slated to begin later this year.
Kinetic makes multi-million-dollar fiber bet in Texas
Over 21,000 Texans are expected to benefit from a $23 million network hardware upgrade as Kinetic unveiled what it says is an “aggressive plan to significantly enhance its residential and business fiber network speed capabilities in 2025.” As a result of this hardware upgrade, internet speeds up to 2 Gbps will be available to 1,500 qualified customers in Sugar Land. This project aims to double speeds for more than half a million Kinetic Fiber homes and businesses across the company’s 18-state footprint. By the end of the year, 85% of Kinetic’s fiber-service area will be equipped to support multi-gig internet speeds.
Lyte Fiber awarded $58M by the State of Texas to expand broadband
The State of Texas has awarded Lyte Fiber $57.8 million to expand high-speed broadband internet access in Marion and Navarro Counties through the State's Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) II Program. The funding enables the Houston-based internet provider to connect more than 6,750 unserved or underserved rural homes and businesses. Lyte plans to invest over $11 million in these projects, installing more than 900 miles of fiber infrastructure throughout Marion and Navarro Counties. The State's financial support comes from the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF) and the Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund, which voters approved in 2023 to improve digital access throughout the state. The BOOT Program, overseen by the Texas Comptroller's Broadband Development Office (BDO), is a grant initiative to provide high-speed, affordable broadband to needy communities.
Metronet brings fiber broadband to Carpentersville, Ill.
Metronet is bringing fiber internet to Carpentersville, Ill. This privately funded, multimillion-dollar project will provide residents and businesses with fiber-based internet, delivering symmetrical speeds of up to 5 Gbps for homes and up to 10 Gbps for businesses. Construction is expected to begin this summer, and the first customers are expected to gain service by the end of the year.
RightFiber sets Poplar Bluff, Missouri as its next fiber broadband target
RightFiber is set to launch a $4 million network expansion into Poplar Bluff to offer businesses and residents access to its fiber internet service. Construction will begin soon, with the first residents and businesses scheduled to be connected to fiber internet as early as this summer. RightFiber delivers up to 100G to businesses and up to 5 Gbps speeds to homes.
Surf Internet nears 1,000 customer mark in Grant County, Indiana, with fiber expansion
Surf Internet is approaching 1,000 customers connected to its fiber internet service in Grant County, Indiana, reflecting years of local investment and commitment to expanding access to broadband service. The service provider was the first to bring fiber internet directly to homes in communities like Gas City, Jonesboro, and Marion, Ind. It is investing nearly $30 million to expand its fiber network and reach more than half the county’s population by 2026. Surf has passed over 4,000 homes in Grant County with fiber. Besides its private investment, Surf is partnering with state and federal broadband programs to provide reliable internet to underserved areas. Through the Indiana Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program (Round 4), Surf is expanding service to nearly 2,000 rural homes in Grant County.
Lightwave+BTR is tracking service providers' ongoing efforts to extend broadband to more homes and businesses via our Building Broadband series. If you want to share a new broadband build, contact Lightwave+BTR’s Editor in Chief Sean Buckley at [email protected].
Sean Buckley
Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategies of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report across their websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products.