Company Receives More Than $90 Million in State and County Grants to Extend
Reach of Planned
Gig-Speed Fiber Network to 38,000 Potential Customers
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 7,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Brightspeed today announced that
it has been awarded more than $90
million in grants covering 38,000 locations across 29
counties in North Carolina as part
of the state's recent round of the Growing Rural Economies with
Access to Technology (GREAT) grant process. Brightspeedi
was the top recipient of the GREAT grant awards round announced by
the N.C. Department of Information Technology on August 31.
The GREAT program is designed to fund the deployment of
broadband by providing matching grants to internet service
providers working to expand high-speed internet access to unserved
and underserved areas of North
Carolina. In a highly competitive process that drew more
than 300 applicants, service providers were evaluated based on the
number of households and businesses they propose to serve, the
average cost to serve those locations, and the speeds
offered.
"We are thrilled Brightspeed was selected to receive GREAT grant
funds in 29 counties across our home state of North Carolina," said Tom Dailey, Brightspeed's vice president of
public policy and government affairs. "As our economy, education
systems, workplace options, and healthcare platforms increasingly
move online, it is essential for the broadband infrastructure to
keep pace for households and businesses alike. We appreciate the
opportunity to extend the reach of our fiber network to even more
customers across so many North
Carolina communities."
Brightspeed previously announced that it will build a
significant portion of its planned fiber optics network in
North Carolina, where it expects
to deliver, by end of 2023, over 300,000 new fiber passings in
portions of more than 30 counties in the first phase of
construction in the state. Brightspeed further plans an additional
500,000 fiber passings in subsequent years of its network
transformation initiative, for a total of up to 800,000
fiber-enabled locations across its North
Carolina footprint.
The GREAT funds will play an important role in furthering
Brightspeed's mission of bridging the digital divide by enabling
the company to deploy an incremental 38,000 fiber passings in
portions of Ashe, Beaufort, Burke, Caldwell, Camden, Carteret, Catawba, Chatham, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Forsyth, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Greene, Hertford, Montgomery, Moore, Onslow, Pasquotank, Pitt, Sampson, Tyrrell, Vance, Washington, Wilkes, and Wilson counties.
"Partnering with county and local officials across our operating
territory is essential as we jointly work to help close the
rural-urban digital divide, and we're grateful for their support,"
continued Dailey. "We applaud the state's continued dedication to
increasing broadband access for communities who will benefit the
most. We are grateful for the opportunity to play a leadership role
in accelerating the availability of faster, more reliable internet
and to participate in programs that support affordability for our
North Carolina customers."
Brightspeed will initially be comprised of incumbent local
exchange carrier (ILEC) assets and associated operations of Lumen
Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), which are subject to pending acquisition
by Apollo-managed funds (NYSE: APO) that is expected to close early
in the fourth quarter. Brightspeed intends to invest at least
$2 billion of its own funds in the
fiber optics transformation of its operating territory, covering
mainly rural and suburban regions of the country.
The company is working with a select team of technology
innovators and blue-chip partners to implement its state-of-the-art
FTTP network. Brightspeed's fiber network deployment will leverage
XGS-PON, an architecture supporting download and upload internet
speeds that exceed 1Gbps, and Wi-Fi 6, the latest wireless
networking standard for optimal speed and performance within
today's device-packed homes and businesses.
For more information about Brightspeed, visit the company's
website, www.brightspeed.com.
About Brightspeed
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and
expected to have assets and associated operations in 20
states, Brightspeed will provide broadband and
telecommunications services through a network platform capable of
serving more than 6 million homes and businesses. The company aims
to bridge the digital divide by deploying a state-of-the-art fiber
network and a customer experience that makes staying connected
simple and seamless. For more information about
Brightspeed, visit the company's website,
www.brightspeed.com.
Media
Erik Carlson
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
(212) 355-4449
pr@brightspeed.com
i Brightspeed is the name under which
Connect Holding II LLC conducts business.
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SOURCE Brightspeed