The Buildout: Spectrum, Comcast win last-mile funding in Tennessee

Tennessee's Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) awarded $34.5 million for last-mile broadband projects to bring service to 5,241 locations in six counties. Funding went to Spectrum Southeast ($12.5 million), United Communications ($8.1 million), Skybest Communications ($5 million), Ben Lomand Communications ($4.7 million) and Comcast ($4.2 million). Projects must be completed by December 31, 2026. In addition to last-mile funding, the state also awarded a $67.1 million investment in digital opportunity grants to "promote digital literacy and equip more than 3 million Tennesseans with the skills needed for high-paying virtual jobs across 66 counties." Tennessee was approved to receive $162 million in capital projects funding through the American Rescue Plan to invest in middle- and last-mile broadband infrastructure.

Charter's Spectrum launched services in parts of North Carolina and Georgia. In North Carolina, services went live for 750 homes and businesses in Chatham County, where the company received support through the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). In Morgan County, Georgia – where Spectrum received funding through the state's share of American Rescue Plan funds – services went live for 2,200 homes and businesses. Spectrum has also used RDOF funds to reach an additional 1,300 locations in Morgan County.

LiveOak Fiber announced progress on work to expand its network in Savannah, Georgia. In a press release, the company said it is "on pace" to reach 7,200 locations by end of year, with 1,200 homes and businesses in Bacon Park and Sandfly to come online "within two weeks." The buildout is "the first phase of a larger initiative that will ultimately serve 46,000 homes and businesses in Savannah and the surrounding area," according to the press release. LiveOak Fiber was founded in 2022 with funding from InfraRed Capital and has since secured additional funding from InfraRed as well as JP Morgan.

Fixed-wireless provider unWired Broadband has started construction to bring its "NextGen Fiber" network to Parlier, California. Once complete, the network (described by unWired as a "multi-million dollar project") will reach over 2,948 locations throughout the city, with installations expected to begin in December 2024 and full construction slated to wrap up in April 2025. unWired Broadband is funded by private equity firm O2 Investments.

Consolidated's Fidium Fiber launched services in parts of Maine and Vermont this week. In Maine, the company went live for more than 1,500 homes and businesses in Eastport, Pleasant Point and Perry; 4,000 homes and businesses in Oakland, Belgrade and Sidney; 2,000 locations in Newport and Palmyra; and more than 800 locations in Guilford. And over in Vermont, Fidium Fiber went live for 6,900 additional homes and businesses in Rutland County, where the company is partnering with the Otter Creek Communications Union District (CUD). Fidium Fiber received grant funding from Vermont toward the $10 million fiber expansion project.

Metronet will bring its fiber network to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The company said its "planned private multimillion-dollar investment" will make Council Bluffs the 40th community in Iowa to get Metronet's services. Construction is set to take two years, with initial customers coming online next fall. And in Illinois, Metronet announced that its network is live for initial customers in Machesney Park, where it began construction this past May. In related news, Metronet this week was hit with service outages, reportedly resulting from an overnight software update. Metronet is in the process of being acquired through a joint venture formed by T-Mobile and existing Metronet investor KKR. Metronet's other investor, Oak Hill Capital, will retain a minority stake.

Vexus Fiber, which merged with Metronet in 2022, is now live for a majority of addresses in Alexandria, Louisiana. In a press release, the company said it invested $30 million to build out 140 miles of fiber. Construction began in November 2022 and is ongoing.

GoNetspeed has launched its network for initial customers in Utica, New York. The company is investing $60 million to connect 38,000 homes in the region by winter of 2025. GoNetspeed is funded by Oak Hill Capital.

Brightspeed launched its network in and around Columbia, Missouri. The company on Friday joined local officials to announce the fiber network's availability "to nearly 38,000 families and businesses across Columbia and Hermann," according to a press release. In August, Brightspeed announced that it secured $3.7 billion in new financing while eliminating $1.1 billion of total debt, to fuel its fiber buildout plans.