The Buildout: Utopia Fiber connects its 16th city

Lumos announced the launch of its fiber network in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The project was funded with a grant from the state's Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) program, with funds from the American Rescue Plan. The network will connect over 15,000 of the region's underserved homes, said Lumos. Lumos recently won GREAT grant funding for broadband projects in Durham County and Guilford County, as well as Wayne County, where Goldsboro is located, and where Lumos previously won funding in July as well. Also this week, Lumos announced it was selected by the Technology & Data Institute (TDI) as a partner on a "borderless classroom" pilot project in Guilford County Schools. The partnership, funded with $3.5 million in grants, will initially see Lumos deliver an educational network for three schools in High Point, North Carolina, through the end of the 2026 school year, and deliver fiber connectivity to an estimated 1,000 households, said the company.

Utopia Fiber, a municipal, open access network in Utah, has completed construction on its $20 million fiber network project in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Construction on the network started in August 2021, according to a press release, and "the entire project, including 10,944 residential addresses, was completed on July 12, 2023," said the company. Utopia Fiber further said it had a 24% subscriber take rate on the Pleasant Grove network, which marks its 16th city, as of the end of August 2023.

The city of Syracuse, New York, along with US Ignite and ISP Community Broadband Networks (CBN), this week announced the launch of Surge Link: a new project that "aims to connect 2,500 underserved Syracuse families to high-speed, affordable broadband," according to a press release. The Surge Link network is being deployed with the city's American Rescue Plan funds and will provide "no-cost service" for low-income households through participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). US Ignite acted as an advisor on the community broadband project, and CBN will serve as the region's ISP. Syracuse plans to use existing city-owned assets and leverage local partnerships for network infrastructure, in addition to working with social service agencies, nonprofit organizations and businesses on digital education, support and training.

Spectrum/Charter Communications announced several service launches in Michigan, Virginia and Wisconsin this week. In Hazelton Township, in Shiawassee County, Michigan, the company launched services for 95 homes and small businesses. It also launched services for 128 homes and small businesses in Homestead Township in Benzie County, Michigan. In Suffolk, Virginia, the company said it launched broadband services to more than 1,400 homes and small businesses. And in Marathon County, Wisconsin, Spectrum launched services for more than 1,700 additional homes and small businesses. All three builds are associated with the company's $5 billion investment in rural deployments, including $1 billion awarded through the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).

Ziply Fiber announced construction and service launches in the state of Washington this week. In Grandview, Washington, the company started construction on a new fiber network to deliver service to more than 1,300 homes and businesses. And in Tieton, Washington, Ziply said it launched fiber broadband services for "more than 300 addresses throughout the city." Both builds are part of Ziply's effort "to invest hundreds of millions of dollars" to build out fiber in underserved regions across the Northwest.

Intrepid Fiber Networks, a wholesale, open access provider backed by investment firm Brookfield Infrastructure, announced its expansion into Bloomington, Minnesota. In a press release, the company said it intends to reach over 40,000 homes and businesses through the project with symmetrical, gigabit services. Construction on the network began in July 2023, and service is expected to go live "as early as" December 2023, said the company. As an open access network, Intrepid said it aims to "enable multiple ISPs on its Bloomington network" over time.

i3 Broadband is continuing to launch services in and around St. Louis, Missouri. Most recently, the company announced progress on its buildout in the region of Ballwin, where it launched services for 256 homes on September 27. Additionally this week, i3 Broadband said it is continuing to expand in the Dardenne Prairie region, with services launching for "an additional 236 homes" in Leighton Estates on September 22.

GoNetspeed has completed construction on its network in Seymour, Connecticut. The company, which is funded by Oak Hill Capital, invested $4.4 million to connect more than 6,600 homes and businesses throughout the region. Seymour is one of 30 communities in Connecticut with service from GoNetspeed.

Kwikom, a fiber and fixed wireless provider based in Kansas, announced that it is building a fiber network in Edgerton, Kansas. The company officially broke ground on the network that is expected to deliver broadband service to over 650 homes and businesses in the region. Construction will expand at a "rapid pace in the weeks and months to come," said Kwikom in a press release, with service expected to launch in spring 2024.

Kentucky government officials joined representatives from Duo Broadband this week to present a grant worth $7.2 million for a fiber buildout in Adair County. Duo was awarded the grant as part of a $196 million round announced in early September to deliver service to 42,600 homes and businesses. Duo's grant in Adair County will be accompanied by $3.1 million in matching funds for a total project cost of $10.3 million. The build will enable Duo to deliver services to 378 homes and businesses in Adair County.

WideOpenWest (WOW) said it will expand its footprint along Florida's west central coast, with construction set to begin "in the coming months" in Hernando County. The build is part of WOW's greenfield network expansion, and overall goal of passing more than 400,000 new homes by 2027, including 44,000 new homes in Hernando County. The news follows other recent announcements from WOW that it is expanding in Minnesota and Michigan.