The Buildout: Kinetic kicks off $20.5M public-private build in Georgia

Kinetic by Windstream has announced a public-private partnership with Union County, Georgia, which will see the company build out 550 miles of fiber to reach 8,300 unserved and underserved homes, businesses and schools. The $20.5 million project is being funded with $11.2 million in state grants from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), as well as $8.9 million from Kinetic and $500,000 from Union County. According to a press release, the project is expected to be completed in 2024.

Verizon detailed plans this week to build out over 500 miles of fiber in rural Maryland, connecting 4,000 homes and businesses in Charles, Garrett, Cecil, Howard, St. Mary's and Washington County. The company was one of several to recently receive grants from the state's Connect Maryland program, funded through ARPA capital projects funds. In a press release, Verizon said the $26 million project is being paid for with the $11 million it received from the state, plus $14 million from the company.

Comcast officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony in Merced County, California, this week to celebrate the expansion of its Xfinity 10G network to the rural community of Planada. The new build is courtesy of a $4.5 million investment from Comcast, which the company said in a press release was paired with an additional $100,000 in philanthropic and digital equity grants. Additionally, Comcast provided laptops to roughly 100 graduating eighth graders from Planada's Cesar Chavez Middle School.

Metronet started construction this week on a fiber network in Bellbrook, Ohio, where customers are expected to be connected by this fall. According to Metronet, as with its other full-fiber builds – which it dubs "Gigabit Cities" – Bellbrook's new network is courtesy of a "fully funded multimillion-dollar investment."

GoNetspeed announced plans to construct new fiber networks in Massachusetts and Maine this week. The company said it will start construction on a $3 million fiber network in Amherst, Massachusetts, with plans to reach 2,300 homes and businesses. Work is expected to be completed by late summer, with the first customers getting connected this spring. In Maine, the company will build out a $3.2 million network to deliver fiber to 6,300 locations in the Twin Cities of Lewiston and Auburn. Construction will start this spring, and customers are expected to be connected by this fall.

Tennessee's Greeneville Energy Authority (GEA) has started construction on a fiber network that will service "all GEA customers within the city limits" during its first phase, according to The Greeneville Sun. The network will initially reach 7,281 residential customers and 2,010 commercial and industrial customers. GEA will install 95 miles of aerial fiber and 28 miles of underground fiber.

Ritter Communications has completed a fiber network buildout in Dyersburg, Tennessee. In a press release this week, the company said the $2.5 million expansion project "benefits businesses and schools in the community."

TDS Telecommunications has started construction on a fiber network for Manitowoc, Wisconsin. According to the company, the new network will deliver fiber broadband services, with speeds up to 8 Gbit/s, to more than 15,000 homes and businesses. TDS said it will also offer the Affordable Connectivity Plan (ACP), allowing qualified customers to subscribe to its 200 Mbit/s plan "at no cost with the company's TDS Connect product."

Stellar Broadband, which services multi-tenant communities, announced a partnership with Rockford Construction and Spartan Innovations – a subsidiary of the Michigan State University (MSU) Research Foundation – to build a fiber network for a new office space. According to a press release, the enterprise-grade network spans 19,400 square feet and is engineered "to optimize security and performance for 24 unique businesses and shared common areas."

In Nebraska this week, the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners broke ground on a $10 million broadband infrastructure project, according to local reports. The project is being funded with a state grant awarded last year, funded by ARPA. The Lancaster County Broadband Infrastructure Project will build out 175 miles of conduit, in which private providers will install fiber. Construction is set to continue throughout the year.

All Points Broadband (APB) announced this week that it entered an agreement with Crawford County, Pennsylvania, to build a 350-mile fiber network servicing more than 2,370 locations. Construction is expected to take about two years, with the first customer installations starting in six months. The project is funded with roughly $3 million from the county in state grants and ARPA funds. Separately this week, APB was awarded a $29 million check from Virginia's Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) – as part of a set of awards announced in 2021 – for a fiber buildout to reach 8,000 homes in Pulaski County. The county also contributed $2 million in ARPA funds, and APB will contribute $24 million for a total project cost of $55 million, said local reports. Construction will begin in 2024.

Pulse, a municipal network in Loveland, Colorado, recently rolled out new, multi-gigabit symmetrical broadband speeds. According to a press release, Pulse has increased speeds on its Starter plan from 30 Mbit/s to 100 Mbit/s, as well as its Connect plan from 120 Mbit/s to 350 Mbit/s. In addition to a 1-Gig plan, Pulse now offers an Ultimate plan at 3 Gbit/s plus a Pro plan of 10 Gbit/s. Pulse, which broke ground in 2019, is on track to complete construction this year, the company said.