EPB earmarks $70M for 25-Gig services and fiber upgrades

RALEIGH, NC – Regional Fiber Connect 2023 – Over the past year, electric power distributor EPB has deployed 25-Gig services in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as part of a $70 million fiber upgrade plan.

EPB VP Katie Espeseth joins the podcast to explain what the 25-Gig services and fiber deployments mean for economic development in the region. She also touches on potential opportunities for Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding, and why EPB is leading a testbed for quantum computing applications.

EPB, formerly known as the Electric Power Board, is independently operated and municipally owned by the city of Chattanooga. It started deploying fiber in 2008 and now has nearly 11,000 miles of fiber, passing all 185,000 homes and businesses in its footprint.

You can download a lightly edited transcript of the podcast here.

Here are a few topics we covered:

• EPB rolls out 25-Gig fiber deployments in Chattanooga as part of a $70 million upgrade to the network. (00:34)
• EPB runs a quantum computing testbed. (02:10)
• How fiber infrastructure is impacting economic development in Chattanooga. (04:37)
• Katie's thoughts on distribution of Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding. (06:49)

Related stories and links:

• EPB's Katie Espeseth on delivering the 'world's fastest Internet' in Chattanooga
• Gigi Sohn cites urgency of fixing broadband map in third Senate hearing
• Biden recommits to 'Buy America' rules for broadband grants

— Kelsey Kusterer Ziser, Senior Editor, Light Reading