The Buildout: Lumos makes $230M move into OhioThe Buildout: Lumos makes $230M move into Ohio

This week in broadband builds: Lumos to build 2,000 miles of fiber in Ohio; Brightspeed construction starts in multiple regions; Kansas awards go to local providers; Metronet starts $30 million build in North Carolina – and more.

Nicole Ferraro, Editor, host of 'The Divide' podcast

July 26, 2024

5 Min Read
Fiber optic cables lie on a construction site
(Source: dpa picture alliance/Alamy Stock Photo)

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 89,000 locations across the US. Send us your news at [email protected]. Keep up with every installment of The Buildout here.

  • Lumos this week said it will invest $230 million to build 2,000 miles of fiber in Ohio to connect homes and businesses throughout Mahoning and Trumbull County. Engineering for the build will begin in late 2024. The investment marks Lumos' first expansion in Ohio, according to a press release, and is also its first expansion since the news in April that T-Mobile will 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.

  • Brightspeed's fiber construction and permitting is in progress in multiple regions, according to a series of announcements. To start, the company this week said permitting has begun in Henderson County and Smith County, Texas, where the company is working to connect 30,700 homes and businesses in the communities of Gun Barrel City, Athens, Payne Springs, Chandler and Bullard. Brightspeed had received $2.3 million in grant funding to deliver fiber in Henderson County. Also in Texas, Brightspeed said work is underway to connect nearly 4,300 homes and businesses near the Commerce area of Dallas. Elsewhere in the country, Brightspeed construction is underway in Northern Mississippi to connect 8,600 homes and businesses in and around Olive Branch. The company is also working to construct a network for 6,600 homes and businesses along the Menominee River in Marinette, Wisconsin. And in Louisiana, Brightspeed is currently working to connect more than 6,800 homes and businesses in the Breaux Bridge region. But wait, there's more... In Arkansas, where Brightspeed has recently reached 50,000 of its 100,000 planned locations, the company said work is underway to connect nearly 7,300 homes and businesses in and around Siloam Springs. And finally, in North Carolina, where Brightspeed has won millions in grant funding, the company said more construction and permitting is underway to connect 7,500 homes and businesses on Topsail Island and 4,000 in Sneads Ferry. The builds are part of Brightspeed's commitment to reach 36,000 locations in Onslow County.

  • The state of Kansas awarded $10 million in broadband funding to 12 providers to connect 3,006 locations in 14 counties. With a required provider match of $12.7 million, the full investment is nearly $22.7 million. Grant funding primarily went to local and regional providers including Midco ($1.8 million grant), KwiKom ($1.9 million), IdeaTek ($900,000) and others. Brightspeed was also awarded $474,114. Funding was awarded through the state's Broadband Acceleration Grants program, which is designed to provide speeds of 100/100 Mbit/s upon project completion. The Broadband Acceleration Program was set up by the state legislature in 2020 and was approved to receive $83.5 million in capital projects funds via the American Rescue Plan in 2022.

  • Metronet has started construction on a $30 million fiber network buildout in Wilmington, North Carolina. In a press release, the company said the first customers will receive service this fall. The full project is expected to be completed in two years and will reach homes and businesses in the regions of Bay Shore, Myrtle Grove, North Chase, Ogden, Porters Neck and Silver Lake. This week, it was announced that T-Mobile will form a joint venture with existing Metronet investor, KKR, to acquire the company. Oak Hill Capital, Metronet's other existing investor, will retain a minority stake.

  • GoNetspeed announced construction updates in the Northeast. In Manchester, Connecticut, the company completed construction on a $5.8 million network buildout that kicked off in January. The new network reaches 10,800 homes and businesses. And in Grandby, Massachusetts, GoNetspeed said service is available in initial construction areas. The company is investing $2.4 million in the region to reach 2,200 homes and businesses. GoNetspeed is funded by Oak Hill Capital.

  • 360 Broadband and the Oklahoma Broadband Office launched a new, $4.4 million fiber network in Marshall County, Oklahoma, on Wednesday. According to local reporting, the project was funded with $3.5 million in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the American Rescue Plan, as well as $878,000 in matching funds from 360 Broadband. All told, the project will connect 281 homes and businesses.

  • Charter's Spectrum launched services in more regions associated with its awards via the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). That includes more than 4,100 homes and businesses in Franklin, Colbert and Lawrence Counties, Alabama; as well as 3,200 homes and businesses in Morgan, Walton and Greene Counties, Georgia; and 1,400 additional homes and businesses near Dearborn, Camden Point, Ridgley, West Platte and Woodruff, Missouri.

  • In Wisconsin, SiFi Networks announced that service has gone live for initial customers in the city of Kenosha. The company, which builds open access networks, is partnering with T-Mobile for fiber service delivery. The network will launch with speeds between 500 Mbit/s and 2 Gbit/s but is ultimately expected to provide speeds up to 10 Gbit/s once work is complete. According to local reporting, construction on the $100 million build started in 2022.

  • Comcast has launched a new fiber network in parts of South Miami, Coral Terrace and West Miami, Florida. The company invested $7.5 million in the build which is available to "thousands" of homes and businesses, according to a press release.

Read more about:

The Buildout

About the Author

Nicole Ferraro

Editor, host of 'The Divide' podcast, Light Reading

Nicole covers broadband's impact on society, with a focus on policy and the digital divide. She hosts The Divide on the Light Reading Podcast and tracks broadband builds in The Buildout column.

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free.

You May Also Like