The Buildout: Cityside Fiber expands in Orange County

Irvine, California-based Cityside Fiber has started construction to expand its fiber network into Lake Forest, California, with services expected to launch in spring 2024. The expansion is part of Cityside Fiber's broader buildout in Orange County. The company completed its initial Orange County builds, in Tustin and Dana Point, late last year, and it will also start construction in Mission Viejo this spring. According to a Cityside Fiber spokesperson, the first phase of the Lake Forest project will serve up to 4,600 locations with plans to serve nearly 30,000 locations citywide. And the first phase of the Mission Viejo project will serve as many as 6,900 addresses, with plans to serve up to 32,000 locations citywide. In a press release, the company said it will announce more Orange County cities "later in 2024." Cityside Fiber launched in 2021 and was acquired by SDC Capital Partners in 2023.

Comcast announced new broadband deployment projects in Texas and New Jersey this week. In Texas, the company said it will invest $265 million to "continue to significantly expand" its network throughout multiple southeast Texas counties this year, reaching over 100,000 homes and businesses by the end of 2024. And in Edison, New Jersey, Comcast said it is embarking on a multiyear project to expand its broadband network to more than 40,000 homes and businesses.

Lumos started construction this week on its fiber network in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The project was partially funded with a $1.2 million grant from the state's share of capital project funds via the American Rescue Plan, awarded in February, and is expected to bring service to "nearly 700 homes and small businesses."

GoNetspeed has completed its fiber deployment in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. The $3.6 million project commenced construction in January, started delivering initial services in February and now reaches 4,400 residents and businesses, according to the company. GoNetspeed is funded by Oak Hill Capital.

Brightspeed has started to deploy fiber "in and around" the city of Lima, Ohio, located in Allen County. In a press release, the company said its fiber network will ultimately connect 36,000 homes and businesses in the region. Brightspeed, a company created from the sale of Lumen assets to Apollo, outlined a five-year plan in 2021 to invest $2 billion to reach up to 3 million homes and businesses with fiber, including 380,000 locations across its operating territory in Ohio. This week's announcement follows news last week that work is also underway to connect 85,000 homes and businesses in and around Fayetteville, North Carolina, with 13,000 currently under construction and 1,000 locations already connected.

Shentel's Glo Fiber launched initial services in Salisbury, Maryland, after starting construction late last year. The build is expected to take 18-24 months to complete and will deliver connectivity to 14,000 locations. The Salisbury announcement follows related news last week that Glo Fiber reached an agreement to build its network to 40,000 locations in Frederick County, Maryland.

Intrepid Fiber Networks, a service provider formed by global investment firm Brookfield Asset Management, announced plans to expand its open access fiber network into Minnetonka, Minnesota. Construction on the network is underway and expected to ultimately bring connectivity to 54,000 homes and businesses. Intrepid has construction underway elsewhere in Minnesota, including in Eden Prairie, where the company started work late last year to connect over 25,000 homes and businesses.

i3 Broadband launched services in additional Illinois communities this week. In separate press releases, the company said it launched services for another 660 homes in Rockford and for 944 more homes in the Algonquin/Lake in the Hills area. i3 Broadband was acquired by Wren House Infrastructure in 2020.

Spectrum announced the rollout of services for more than 250 homes and businesses in Beaufort County, North Carolina. The company was awarded partial funding through the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) for the Beaufort build, as part of its $1.2 billion won through RDOF to reach 1.3 million locations overall.