The Buildout: Centranet breaks ground on NTIA-funded fiber build

Centranet, a fiber broadband provider and wholly owned subsidiary of Central Rural Electric Cooperative in Stillwater, Oklahoma, has broken ground on a fiber broadband project in partnership with the Sac and Fox Nation. The $35.8 million project has funding from the NTIA's Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program. According to a press release, the "Sac and Fox project will be interconnected with Centranet's full fiber network which serves more than 10,000 subscribers across seven counties in north-central Oklahoma." As per an NTIA summary, the project will directly connect 7,611 unserved Native American homes, businesses and anchor institutions with 1,000/1,000 Mbit/s service.

Brightspeed this week announced new construction and service launches in North Carolina, Michigan and Texas. In North Carolina, where the company has received millions in grant funding, it launched service for 33,000 homes and businesses in the region of Rocky Mount, and across Nash and Edgecombe Counties. Over in Michigan, Brightspeed said it started construction to connect more than 3,600 homes and businesses in the southeast region of Newport. And in Texas, Brightspeed started construction to connect more than 3,300 homes and businesses in Navasota. This week it was also announced that Brightspeed secured $3.7 billion in new funding to accelerate its fiber buildout to more than 4 million homes and businesses, up from 1.4 million locations.

Charter's Spectrum launched more services in Michigan associated with its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) awards. That includes 660 homes and businesses in Leelanau County, Michigan, specifically in portions of Cleveland, Glenn Arbor, Empire and Kasson Townships. Spectrum services also launched for more than 115 homes and businesses in parts of Baldwin Village, Pleasant Plains Township and Webber Township, Michigan.

GoNetspeed has completed its $3.7 million fiber network in Clay and Pinson, Alabama. Construction on the networks began in 2023, and service is now available to more than 3,600 homes and businesses, including 2,600 locations in Clay and 1,000 in Pinson. GoNetspeed is funded by Oak Hill Capital.

Maine's Connectivity Authority authorized two grants through the state's Partnerships Enabling Middle Mile (PEMM) program. The board approved $9.6 million in total grant funding to connect 15,561 homes and businesses in 12 communities. That includes $6 million for a partnership between Consolidated Communications and Lincoln County, with a $24 million match "in private and public investment including Lincoln County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds," according to a press release. The state also authorized $3.6 million for Waldo County and Direct Communications, matched by $1.9 million in private investment and municipal ARPA funds, to serve 1,125 homes and businesses.

Sticking with Maine, Consolidated's Fidium Fiber went live for an additional 2,700 homes and businesses in the region of Harpswell. Fidium serves roughly 270,000 homes and businesses across the state.

Kinetic by Windstream announced a $1 million partnership to deliver free Wi-Fi for visitors to Gatton Park, a new park in Lexington, Kentucky. The partnership will see Kinetic install and maintain Wi-Fi gateways across the park's ten acres, impacting an estimated 1 million visitors annually, said the company.