The Buildout: Spectrum wins $11.4M in North Carolina

Spectrum announced that it was awarded five grants through North Carolina's Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) program. The grants will enable Spectrum to build broadband networks in Moore County ($4 million grant to reach 1,500 locations), Burke County ($3.8 million grant to reach 1,120 locations), Beaufort County ($1.6 million to reach 500 locations), Montgomery County ($1.3 million to reach 350 locations) and Caldwell County ($756,000 grant to reach 130 locations). The GREAT grants will be combined with funds from the individual counties and Spectrum. The grants were awarded as part of an $80 million round announced last month for projects reaching 25,000 locations. In a press release, Spectrum said it has received over 32 GREAT grants and is the state's largest broadband provider, serving 2.8 million customers

Separately, Spectrum also announced that it launched services for 700 homes and businesses in Avery and Briley Township, Michigan; and 45 homes in Alpena Township, Michigan. Both builds are part of Spectrum's investment in the rural US, for which the company is investing $5 billion, including $1 billion won through the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).

United Communications will invest $85 million to expand its fiber network to 77,000 additional Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) members in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In a press release, United Communications said it will build 1,400 route miles of new fiber-optic lines over a "series of multi-year infrastructure projects." The expansion builds on United's prior investment of more than $30 million in Rutherford County, which connected more than 18,000 homes and businesses in the region.

TDS launched fiber broadband services in Salem, Kentucky, making up to 8 Gbit/s available to roughly 660 residences. Ultimately, 1,400 homes and businesses will be connected when the project is complete. TDS started construction on this buildout in October 2022, with initial plans to deliver 1 Gbit/s but later said it would deliver up to 8 Gbit/s for homes and up to 10 Gbit/s for businesses. In a press release, TDS said the Salem launch "marks the first time TDS has offered both fiber connections and symmetrical multi-gig service in the area."

GoNetspeed this week completed construction on its $4 million fiber network in Waterville and Winslow, Maine, delivering service to over 7,900 homes and businesses. The company also announced plans to invest $1 million to bring its fiber network to more than 1,000 homes and businesses in Pinson, Alabama. Construction will begin this fall, with service delivery expected by the end of the year. GoNetspeed is building out across nine states with private equity funding from Oak Hill Capital.

Vexus Fiber is starting construction on a fiber network in Slidell, Louisiana. The privately funded network will deliver service to 25,000 homes and businesses and is expected to be complete in 2024, according to a press release. Vexus Fiber, like GoNetspeed and other ISPs, has funding from Oak Hill Capital. Last year, Vexus merged with another Oak Hill ISP, Metronet, but they continue to operate as separate brands.

Metronet, meanwhile, announced that its broadband service is available to homes and businesses in "initial construction areas" in Le Center, Minnesota. The company began construction in the region in February 2022.

Gateway Fiber held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its broadband network in Marthasville, Missouri, this week. The project is being funded with $25 million from the state's share of American Rescue Plan funds, awarded in January. In a press release, Gateway Fiber said its kickoff in Marthasville marked "the first community" to benefit from those federal broadband funds. The buildout comprises four projects covering parts of Lincoln County and St. Charles County, as well as Warren County, where Marthasville is located.

Ozark Fiber has started construction on a fiber network in Republic, Missouri. In a press release, the company said initial areas will be serviceable by Q1 2024, with the "vast majority of the city limits serviceable" by Q4 2024. According to most recent US Census data, Republic, Missouri, has 7,313 households. The news follows Ozark's service launch earlier this month in Neosho, Missouri.

Tarana and VTX1 announced the deployment of a next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) network in southern Texas. In a press release, the companies said the network is making broadband available to "more than 2 million homes and businesses across 40,000 square miles of southern Texas."