The Buildout: GCI launches 2 Gbit/s in Unalaska, Comcast plans $50M build in Indiana

On Thursday afternoon, officials from Alaska telecommunications provider GCI joined lawmakers, partners and community members to announce the launch of 2 Gbit/s broadband service for Unalaska, on the Aleutian Islands. The company met its milestone late last year, making Unalaska "the first of 12 communities slated to receive urban-level internet speeds through GCI's AU-Aleutians Fiber Project," GCI said in a press release. That project, occurring in two phases, will bring 2-Gig speeds and affordable service to multiple remote Alaskan communities. The first phase was funded with a $25 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture's ReConnect program. GCI then received a $29.3 million grant in September 2022 from the NTIA's Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program to bring broadband to the Native Village of Port Lions and surrounding communities via a subsea fiber cable in the coming years.

Sertex Broadband Solutions announced it has completed construction on BroadbandBI, a publicly owned, privately operated fiber network connecting Block Island, a remote island located ten miles off the coast of Rhode Island. In a press release, Sertex – which designed and installed the network – said it's continuing the work of connecting properties and installing fiber drops, with initial service subscriptions expected to start in March. The $8 million project was approved in July 2020 and will connect 1,800 properties with 53 miles of fiber-optic cable.

Following Indiana's release of broadband awards last month, Comcast announced this week that the company has agreed to invest $50 million in the state, including the $13.6 million it was awarded in Indiana's Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program. In a press release, Comcast said it will deploy 1,200 miles of fiber to unserved rural portions of Indiana. The project will bring broadband to more than 10,000 homes and businesses across 19 counties, said the company.

In other Indiana news, TDS Telecommunications announced plans to upgrade its network to deliver fiber broadband in Hillsboro, Indiana. According to a press release, construction will start in the spring and will bring fiber to 300 Hillsboro addresses in the build area. "Construction will include burying conduit and fiber cable in public utility easement areas and hanging cable on utility poles," said TDS in an announcement, adding that new services will gradually become available to customers. This news follows last week's announcement that TDS will also start construction this spring to bring its fiber network to nearly 8,000 homes and businesses in Helena Valley, Montana.

Continuing its $5 billion buildout in the rural US, Spectrum launched services for an additional 630 homes and small businesses in Columbus County, North Carolina. That follows 2,200 newly connected homes and small businesses in Morgan, Henry, and Newton Counties, Georgia, announced last Friday. With $1 billion in funding from the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), Spectrum's buildout will ultimately reach an estimated 1 million locations in 24 states.

Tachus Fiber Internet announced this week that it has doubled its footprint over the past year and is now passing 100,000 homes in Greater Houston, Texas. Tachus is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, and currently serves 30,000 customers in North Houston, according to a press release about the network's progress. Tachus is a privately funded network with backing from Crosstimbers Capital Group to expand its fiber footprint in Houston.

Jacksonville, Florida-based IQ Fiber announced the launch of "Northeast Florida's only purpose-built, free, high-speed, outdoor Wi-Fi network in a public park" at the City of Atlantic Beach. According to a press release, the Wi-Fi network was funded by IQ Fiber "as a gift to the community." Overall, IQ Fiber has invested roughly $12.5 million in its Atlantic Beach fiber network and began serving customers there in December 2022. The company is building out elsewhere in Florida, with news last week that it's investing $36 million to deliver fiber on Anastasia Island in St. Johns County, and Fernandina Beach in Nassau County, Florida.

Last week, the Idaho Broadband Advisory Board (IBAB) awarded $26.3 million in funding for two middle-mile broadband infrastructure projects. The awards were distributed from the Idaho Broadband Fund. Among the projects awarded include the Idaho Regional Optical Network (IRON) and the Intermountain Infrastructure Group (IIG), which received $20 million to build a 198-mile "north-south Idaho broadband backbone." Another $6.3 million was awarded to the Port of Lewiston to connect with the IRON and IIG project. Both awards require matching funds, with IRON contributing $60 million for a total project cost of $80 million, and Port of Lewiston contributing $5.6 million for a total project cost of $11.9 million.

Meanwhile, in the UK, CityFibre today announced it completed the primary build on its fiber network in Inverness, Scotland. The 24.5 million pounds sterling (US$29.6 million) project first started construction in 2019 and now comprises 400 kilometers of fiber, reaching "over 28,000 homes, representing over 90% of the city's residential properties, as well as businesses, key public sector and community site," according to a press release. The Inverness network news follows a prior CityFibre announcement last month that it delivered 1 million "ready for service" homes last year, and now passes over 2.5 million premises with 2.2 million ready for service.