This week in broadband builds: AT&T, Golden State Connect pick up millions in California; Fidium Fiber starts new year with new construction; Surf Internet rides wave to Indiana's Cherry Creek – and more.
The Buildout is a column from Light Reading tracking broadband network deployments. This week we're tracking new construction, awards and service launches reaching over 70,000 locations across the US. Send us your news at [email protected]. Keep up with every instalment of The Buildout here.
California awarded $225 million for last-mile broadband deployment in late December, with funding spread across 14 counties. According to public documents, the vast majority of funding this round was split between AT&T ($75.3 million across 13 grants) and the Golden State Connect Authority, a state entity working with Utopia Fiber to build an open access network in rural California ($97.2 million across two grants). Other grant recipients included Zito ($19.8 million), unWired Broadband ($4.8 million) and Comcast ($3.2 million). The funding will cover 23,322 locations in total.
Consolidated's Fidium Fiber ended 2024 with new service launches and kicked off 2025 with new construction. The company announced that it will start construction as early as today (January 3) to expand its services to Franklin County, Vermont, to ultimately reach 3,200 homes and businesses in Enosburgh and Sheldon, and parts of Bakersfield and Berkshire, with fiber broadband. Concurrently, Fidium is also starting construction to connect 3,300 homes and businesses in Lincoln, Maine. Partial grant funding for the project was allocated by the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA). Fidium also received funding via the MCA to expand its services to 300 homes and businesses in Kingman, Maine, where it was scheduled to start construction in late December. Also in Maine, Fidium announced in late December that its services are now available for 6,900 homes and businesses in the city of Norway. Departing the Northeast, Fidium Fiber also said its services are now available for more than 1,200 homes and businesses in Lufkin, Texas, bringing its total locations served in Lufkin to 24,000 since 2021.
Surf Internet was selected to serve as the exclusive provider for the new Cherry Creek housing development, in Goshen, Indiana. The housing development, currently under phase one construction, with single-family homes to be constructed this summer, expects to welcome its first residents in December 2025, according to a site plan. In a press release, Surf said it will work to install a fiber network throughout Cherry Creek, "including pre-installed connections in all homes and businesses as construction progresses." According to local reporting, the Cherry Creek development is expected to include over 1,200 homes and 100,000 feet of commercial space once complete. In a press release, Surf Internet said it will also provide community Wi-Fi in public spaces.
Charter's Spectrum closed out 2024 by launching its services in more areas associated with the company's rural expansion, partially funded by the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). In Ohio, Spectrum services launched for more than 2,000 homes and businesses in rural parts of Coshocton County. In addition to RDOF support, Spectrum also received grant funding via the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant (ORBEG) project and Coshocton County. And in Tennessee, Spectrum services went live for nearly 900 homes and businesses in the Maryville, Tallassee, Greenback and Philadelphia areas of Loudon, Blount and Roan Counties.
WideOpenWest (WOW) announced in late December that its fiber broadband services are now available in Hernando Beach, in Hernando County, Florida; as well as in Brighton, in Livingston County, Michigan. The company, which is in the midst of a multi-year greenfield expansion effort, is continuing construction in Florida and Michigan and said it plans to ultimately add 44,000 locations in Hernando County and 80,000 in Central Michigan. WOW closed on a $200 million loan in October 2024 to accelerate its greenfield growth.
GoNetspeed ended 2024 with news that it will start construction to connect residents of Bethel, Connecticut, "beginning in early 2025." The company is investing $1.6 million to reach more than 3,065 locations in the region. The news followed another GoNetspeed announcement that it will start construction early this year in Danbury, Connecticut, as well. GoNetspeed, which currently provides broadband service in nine states including Connecticut, is funded by Oak Hill Capital.
Following its investments in several Ohio regions, Lumos ended the year by announcing it will invest $246 million to expand its network into Illinois. According to a press release, this marks Lumos' inaugural investment in the state, and it will see the company connect communities in DuPage County and Cook County. Last year, T-Mobile confirmed plans to form a joint venture with EQT to acquire Lumos. The companies aim to expand Lumos' fiber network from roughly 320,000 locations to 3.5 million US locations by the end of 2028.
Comcast started construction in late 2024 to connect 10,000 homes and businesses in Radford, Virginia. According to a press release, the first homes and businesses will be able to receive service "in early 2025." The company said this marks Comcast's "latest investment in Virginia," following its recent expansions into Lynchburg, Christiansburg and Strasburg.
Comporium services are now available for more than 1,400 homes and businesses in Lexington and Aiken Counties, South Carolina. The $7.3 million project is being funded in part by "state-issued funds from the American Rescue Plan Act made possible by funding from the South Carolina Broadband Office," according to a press release, as well as private investment from Comporium. Comporium was awarded $51.9 million in American Rescue Plan funds via South Carolina's broadband office in December 2023.
AT&T has partnered with JobsOhio – a nonprofit economic development corporation – to deliver a broadband network to "the homes of all 14,000 residents and all businesses" in East Cleveland, Ohio, according to a press announcement in late December. East Cleveland is investing $1 million and JobsOhio will provide $1.9 million for the project. The companies expect the build, which will bring fiber to 100% of the 3.1-square-mile city, to take 24 months to complete.
The Biden administration's Department of Agriculture awarded $313 million through the ReConnect loan and grant program for broadband deployment projects at the end of last year. The bulk of the funding will go to local providers and telco cooperatives to deliver broadband in some of the hardest-to-reach locations in the country across 18 states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. These projects are expected to benefit over 31,000 residents, according to the USDA, as well as hundreds of farms and businesses.
Read more about:
The BuildoutYou May Also Like
.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
