Brightspeed Secures $29.3M in Funding to Expand Fiber Network in North Carolina

Brightspeed, the fourth-largest fiber broadband builder in the United States, has announced that it has been awarded an additional $29.3 million to extend its advanced fiber broadband network across North Carolina. This new funding will allow Brightspeed to bring its high-speed internet services to nearly 11,000 more locations in Burke, Cumberland, Edgecombe, Franklin, Harnett, Martin, Northampton, Pamlico, and Warren counties.

Brightspeed Secures $29.3M in Funding to Expand Fiber Network in North Carolina
Brightspeed Secures $29.3M in Funding to Expand Fiber Network in North Carolina

Brightspeed, the fourth-largest fiber broadband builder in the United States, has announced that it has been awarded an additional $29.3 million to extend its advanced fiber broadband network across North Carolina. This new funding will allow Brightspeed to bring its high-speed internet services to nearly 11,000 more locations in Burke, Cumberland, Edgecombe, Franklin, Harnett, Martin, Northampton, Pamlico, and Warren counties.

Brightspeed has been actively investing in its home state since its inception, aiming to connect nearly 800,000 locations throughout North Carolina. Steve Brewer, the company's director of government affairs and public policy, highlighted the significance of this expansion, stating, “We have been investing in our home state since Brightspeed launched, already giving more than 170,000 North Carolinians access to our blazing fast fiber network. With this additional investment from the state and counties, we are now able to bring even more homes and businesses the high-speed connectivity they need to thrive in today’s connected world.”

Last month, Brightspeed received $22.5 million from the N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program funds to expand its network to nearly 10,000 additional locations in Beaufort, Chatham, Jones, Pamlico, Pasquotank, and Pitt counties. Combined with the CAB program funds and Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants, Brightspeed has secured approximately $177 million to connect about 81,000 households and businesses in 41 counties to its high-speed network. This brings the company's total commitment in North Carolina to over 880,000 fiber-enabled locations.

Jim Weaver, NCDIT Secretary and State Chief Information Officer, emphasized the collaborative nature of the CAB program, saying, “The Completing Access to Broadband program drives collaboration between the state, individual counties, and internet service providers to quickly get broadband projects underway for North Carolinians. Through these and previous CAB program awards, Brightspeed will be helping residents and businesses in 14 counties access high-speed internet so they can work, learn, and connect with others online.”

The GREAT and CAB programs provide matching funds to internet service providers like Brightspeed that partner with individual North Carolina counties to expand high-speed internet service to underserved areas.

Brightspeed is investing $2 billion in deploying next-generation fiber-optic technology to build a more reliable and super-fast broadband internet network, reaching more than three million homes and businesses across 20 states. In addition to its multi-million-dollar investment in deploying its fiber broadband network in North Carolina communities, Brightspeed continues to seek additional state and federal funding to support its current fiber network build plan and help close the digital divide in the state.

About Brightspeed Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., and operating in 20 states, Brightspeed provides broadband and telecommunications services through a network capable of serving more than 6.5 million homes and businesses. The company’s more than 4,000 employees are dedicated to building a future where more communities benefit from a connected life, deploying a state-of-the-art fiber network, and offering a customer experience that makes being connected as simple as it should be. For more information, please visit www.brightspeed.com.