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This week in broadband builds: Indiana awards $81.5 million in grants to large and small providers; Vexus builds in Texas; Brightspeed under construction in Missouri; TDS expands in Utah – and more.
The Buildout is a column from Light Reading tracking broadband network deployments. This week we're tracking new construction, grants and service launches reaching over 120,000 locations across the US. Send us your news at [email protected]. Keep up with every installment of The Buildout here.
The state of Indiana awarded $81.5 million in broadband expansion grants to 17 service providers and cooperatives. This latest round of funding, dispatched through the state's Next Level Connections grant program, will go toward connecting 34,000 homes and businesses in 54 counties. Grant winners included Comcast ($9.4 million across six grants); Spectrum ($9.3 million across eight grants); AT&T ($6.6 million across five grants); Brightspeed ($5.6 million across five grants); Mercury Broadband ($5 million) and Frontier ($2.5 million). Local provider Surf Internet (Surf Air Wireless) picked up three grants totaling $8.6 million. With matching funds from service providers, the total investment in these counties comes to $216 million this round.
In addition to picking up $5.6 million in Indiana, Brightspeed this week also said construction is underway in Central and Southwest Missouri where the company is working to deliver service to 31,000 locations in the regions of Rolla, St. Robert, Lebanon, Marshfield and Aurora.
Charter's Spectrum this week said it launched services for more than 1,800 homes and businesses in Meigs and Rhea Counties, Tennessee. The new fiber network is part of the company's commitment through the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).
Vexus Fiber has launched in parts of Denison, Texas, where the company first started work in December. At present, nearly 1,500 homes and businesses can access the company's broadband services in the region, with the $20 million Denison network expected to reach 12,000 homes and businesses once construction is complete by year's end, said Vexus. Elsewhere in Texas, Vexus officially declared that its services are now available to a majority of homes and businesses in the city of Pampa. According to a press release, Vexus has invested $6.8 million in its fiber expansion in the region, installing 120 miles of fiber and connecting 10,000 homes and 1,000 businesses. Also this week, following permitting delays, construction has reportedly begun on Vexus Fiber's network in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which was first approved in 2022. The company is investing $50 million to reach 40,000 locations. Vexus Fiber, which is part of Metronet, is funded by Oak Hill Capital and KKR.
TDS Telecommunications has launched its broadband network in Washington County, Utah. With construction complete, the company's services are now available to 3,700 addresses in the city of Ivins. Ivins is the second city to get TDS service in Washington County, after the company completed construction in Santa Clara, Utah, in November.
All West Communications said it has expanded its service to 30,000 homes in neighborhoods along the Wasatch Front, in the state of Utah. All West, which was founded in 1912, was officially acquired by private equity firm Novacap in January for an undisclosed sum.
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