The Great Broadband Build: AT&T Extends Fiber Broadband to 500K Louisiana Locations; Horizon Targets 13 New Communities with Fiber Services

Service providers are rapidly building broadband in communities nationwide via fiber, existing coax and wireless. The Great Broadband Build is a weekly roundup of the latest broadband network deployments.

You can send news directly to Sean Buckley, Editor in Chief of Broadband Communities, at sean@bbcmag.com. Stay abreast of each installment of The Great Broadband Build here.

AT&T Extends Fiber Broadband to 500K Louisiana Locations
AT&T has expanded access to AT&T Fiber to more than 500,000 customer locations in communities across the state as of the end of 2022. Customers now have access to AT&T Fiber in many cities and towns across the state, including Abbeville, Abita Springs, Alexandria, Baker, Baton Rouge, Bogalusa, Bossier City, Brusly, Carencro, Covington, Denham Springs, Estelle, Gretna, Hammond, Houghton, Houma, Kenner, LaPlace, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Mandeville, Marrero, Metairie, Monroe, Morgan City, New Iberia, New Orleans, Opelousas, Ponchatoula, Ruston, Shreveport, Slidell, Stonewall, Sulphur, Terrytown, Thibodaux, Walker, West Monroe, Youngsville, Zachary, and many other parts of Louisiana. Over 3,200 AT&T employees call Louisiana home, and in 2022 alone, our teams expanded access to AT&T Fiber to nearly 125,000 customer locations in the state.

Horizon Targets 13 New Ohio Communities with Fiber Services
Horizon is expanding its regional fiber network to residents and businesses in 13 other Ohio communities. This Horizon Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) expansion includes nearly 1,800 miles of fiber, passing almost 117,000 homes and businesses in Delaware, Granville, Heath, Hilliard, Jackson, Marietta, Marion, Newark, Powell, Sunbury and Youngstown, as well as in Fayette County and Western Ross County. This extension of the Horizon footprint in Central, Southern and Northeastern Ohio supports growing network requirements from users across the region, offering greater reliability and symmetrical speeds along with heightened bandwidth capabilities with affordable broadband options while enhancing Horizon’s ability to serve as a trusted network partner across the Midwest. Operates over 6,000 miles of fiber across Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and western Pennsylvania.

Ting Grows Western Presence via Ubiquity Partnership
Ting is expanding its fiber internet to Carlsbad, California, and Mesa, Arizona, through a partnership with Ubiquity. While this partnership is new, the two providers are not strangers. In 2019, Ting and Ubiquity began a relationship in the Solana Beach and Encinitas markets of Southern California. Ubiquity's experience in the construction and asset management of digital infrastructure networks will accelerate Ting's deployment of next-generation fiber internet to both the Carlsbad and Mesa municipalities. Building in both Carlsbad, California, and Mesa, Arizona, began in early 2023 and is expected to continue for the next few years. The tenant partnership with Ubiquity will likely result in up to 150,000 available fiber addresses across both markets over the building term. Residents in Carlsbad can now visit ting.com/Carlsbad to find more information on availability and search for their address to preorder Ting.

Google Fiber Paves Path to Build Fiber Internet in Council Bluffs, Iowa
Google Fiber has secured a license agreement with the Council Bluffs, Iowa City Council, to build a fiber-to-the-home network in their city. The service provider has begun the planning and engineering process, intending to start construction late this year and serve our first customers in Council Bluffs in 2024. Alphabet has been a part of the Council Bluffs community for over a decade, with the Google data center they announced in 2007.

Pavlov Media Secures Investment from Macquarie Asset Management
Pavlov Media has closed on an investment transaction with Macquarie Asset Management (MAM). The Fund's investment will allow Pavlov Media to continue the construction of fiber infrastructure in existing and new markets, expand the company's MDU market presence and accelerate Pavlov Media's fiber-to-the-home initiatives, which are focused on locations around its core markets. Lazard acted as the sole financial advisor to Pavlov Media and Hogan Lovells acted as Pavlov Media's legal counsel. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as the exclusive financial advisor to an affiliated investment fund of Macquarie Asset Management, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as their legal counsel.

Comcast Brings Fiber Network to 800 Homes, Businesses in West Va.’s Preston and Brooke Counties
Comcast is expanding its Xfinity 10G Network to nearly 800 residents and businesses in West Virginia’s Beech Bottom and Windsor Heights in Brooke County and Rowlesburg and Terra Alta in Preston County. The cable MSO now offers its full suite of services, including Xfinity residential broadband speeds up to 1.2 Gbps and Comcast Business speeds up to 100 Gbps to homes and businesses in Beech Bottom and Windsor Heights, and has started rolling out services to residents in Terra Alta. The company plans to complete these expansions later this year. In 2019, Comcast expanded its network to 800 homes and businesses in Bruceton Mills in northern Preston County. Comcast's ongoing expansion efforts include plans to reach another 2,800 homes and businesses in Brooke, Hancock, and Ohio counties as part of West Virginia's Line Extension Advancement and Development (LEAD) program and its Major Broadband Project Strategies (MBPS) program. This program is being presented with financial assistance as a grant from the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, Office of Broadband. Between 2019-2021, Comcast invested $88.4 million in the state of West Virginia to improve and expand its network and continue delivering reliable, secure, and fast connectivity to its customers. Comcast's expansion to Beech Bottom, Windsor Heights, Terra Alta, and Rowlesburg is the company's latest investment in West Virginia. In 2022, Comcast delivered broadband to more than 1,070 new rural homes and businesses in Berkeley, Cabell, Hancock, Mineral, Monongalia, and Ohio counties.

Highline Begins Lighting up FTTH Customers in Upson County, Ga.
Highline has started installing fiber broadband services for Upson County, Georiga customers as part of a public-private partnership. The service provider recently made its customer installation with Kayla Moore’s family. The provider has been busy in the community, completing mainline fiber throughout Upson County and their new office building in downtown Thomaston. It recently completed a ribbon cutting with the Thomaston Chamber and a whole open house at Highline’s new  609 Short E Street offices. Our Local team, led by Dillon Watson and including Community Relations Coordinator Alexis Scott-Myers and Customer Experience Specialist Kathryn Thomas, were busy helping new customers sign-up for service during the event and talking through the exciting new build in Upson County. The county selected Highline for its public-private partnership due to its local presence and delivery ability. Highline partners with many towns, cities, and counties to bring Gigabit fiber internet to thousands of communities across the United States to close the digital divide.

Lumos Begins Expansion into Spartanburg, South Carolina
Lumos has started to expand its network into Spartanburg County, South Carolina, bringing 706 miles of the latest fiber technology to the region. This expansion comes on the heels of the company’s inaugural investment in the state of $100 million into Richland and Lexington Counties. In addition to Spartanburg, the towns of Cowpens, Duncan, Lyman, Greer, and Wellford will have access to the company’s fiber internet service. As the first fiber provider in the area, Lumos’ expansion will improve residents’ quality of life and create more job opportunities in the sales and service industries. Lumos’ expansion into the county advances Council’s vision. The County said Lumos would provide additional market competition, improving speeds and reliability and reducing costs for our residents and businesses. Engineering work will begin in Spartanburg County soon, and residents will receive communication by mail when construction begins.

Pavlov Media Expands Service Reach Within Savoy, Ill.
Pavlov Media has expanded its operations within Savoy, Illinois. The company's reliable Gigabit-speed Internet will soon be available on Woodfield Dr. With unlimited data, no contract, and no installation-fee Internet, Pavlov Media provides an optimal Internet experience with a personal touch. 

IdeaTek Takes Gigabit Internet to Hutchinson, Kansas
IdeaTek is expanding its fiber internet to more Hutchinson, Kansas, residential areas and businesses. This expansion will give thousands more households access to gigabit speeds at affordable prices. At the same time, the service provider has long been dedicated to bridging the digital divide in rural areas by bringing fiber internet access to underserved rural communities. However, internet access challenges extend beyond rural areas, said Daniel Friesen, IdeaTek’s co-founder and chief innovation officer. IdeaTek has already begun building fiber in many residential areas in Hutchinson. The project represents more than $12 million in new investment in the city and will provide dozens of new, well-paid technology jobs with a mission-oriented company. With this rollout, IdeaTek offers unlimited, uncapped, symmetrical speeds of up to 2.5 gigabits per second. IdeaTek also does not require contracts. 

TDS Telecom Serves Up 8 Gbps, TV, Phone for 10K Marshfield, Wis. Residents
TDS Telecom is bringing its fiber service to approximately 10,000 residential and business addresses in Marshfield and Hewitt, Wisconsin. The all-fiber infrastructure project will deliver up to 8 Gbps internet speeds for residents and dedicated connections up to 10 Gbps to businesses; plus, the company’s expansion brings a new TV and phone competitor to the community. The Marshfield project will be it’s first in Wood County. Founded and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, the company has completed all-fiber networks in Stevens Point, Mosinee, Wausau, and surrounding communities. Construction is expected to start this spring, involving burying conduit and cable in utility easement areas in neighborhoods and business parks. TDS services will gradually become available to customers as sections of the network are completed. TDS is investing nearly $1 billion to expand its fiber optic footprint in Wisconsin and serves customers in more than 100 communities in the state.

Verizon Deepens Delaware Fiber Internet Presence
Verizon is deploying fiber-based broadband internet service for customers. According to Verizon, over $6 million in funding for the project comes from the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Verizon says nearly 2,000 locations in Camden, Dover, Smyrna, Bridgeville, Ocean View, and more will have high-speed internet service. Delaware residents and businesses can now access Fios, 5G home internet, and 5G business internet. Those who qualify for the Federal Communication Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program in partnership with the Verizon Forward Program can get free Verizon Home Internet with no upfront fees, annual contracts, equipment chargers, or data caps.

altafiber, Warren County, Ohio Strike Fiber Broadband Partnership
Warren County and altafiber struck a new partnership to bring gigabit broadband fiber Internet access to approximately 52,000 addresses over the next 36-48 months. Upon completion of the project, 100 percent of Warren County’s single-family residences will have access to fiber-based Internet. altafiber’s total investment in the project will be approximately $100 million, which includes bringing fiber to 50,000 Single Family Units and 2,000 Multi-Dwelling Units. Warren County’s Board of County Commissioners has approved an additional $4.8 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding to support the project. Additionally, altafiber’s Smart City organization, UniCity, will provide Warren County with up to $200,000 in funding to construct public Wi-Fi improvements. Warren County can utilize the budget on a project of its choice, such as providing Wi-Fi in public parks or on public transit.

Bluepeak Reaches $55M Agreement with Norman, Okla.
Bluepeak reached a franchise agreement with the city of Norman, Okla., to build a fiber network. The roughly $55 million expansion effort will bring Bluepeak service to nearly 55,000 residences and businesses in Norman. That makes Bluepeak’s investment in Norman the internet provider’s most significant investment in a single market outside of South Dakota to date. Bluepeak currently offers service in South Dakota, North Dakota, southwest Minnesota, Wyoming and Oklahoma. According to Broadbandnow.com, Oklahoma ranks 46th in the nation in internet coverage, speed and availability. A Kansas City Federal Reserve study estimated that 30 percent of Oklahomans have access to fewer than two wired internet providers. Furthermore, research from a 2020 report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond on “Bringing Broadband to Rural America” determined that broadband access and adoption are linked to increased job and population growth, higher rates of new business formation and home values, and lower unemployment rates. Bluepeak has already improved internet options for residents in other Oklahoma communities, with service available in Stillwater, Enid, Lawton, and other communities.

Greenlight Networks Brings Fiber Internet to Over 12K Webster, NY Homes
Greenlight Networks is further expanding its sought-after fiber network into the Town of Webster, New York. Mark Murphy, CEO of Greenlight, confirmed that the company has plans to bring gigabit Internet services to more than 12,000 homes in Webster by year-end 2023. Greenlight’s network is currently available to more than 7,000 households in the town of Webster. The company will invest more than $4 million in continued infrastructure development to expand access to residents. Greenlight is partnering with the Webster Town Recreation Center to host its network equipment in exchange for complimentary high-speed fiber broadband service at the Webster Town Hall. Construction is well underway and is set to enable access to more than 2,300 households. By year-end 2023, Greenlight will have provided gigabit fiber Internet service to another 1,700 homes throughout the town. The company has enlisted the help of local contractors to aid with building out the network. Residents in these areas are already able to place pre-orders.

Nevada's Valley Electric Association Taps Conexon to Construct, Manage Fiber Network
Pahrump, Nevada-based Valley Electric Association has selected Conexon to deliver comprehensive fiber broadband support services for the cooperative's fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network project. Members will receive assistance from the co-op's broadband entity, Valley Communications Association. Conexon will provide network design, construction project management, engineering, and operations support, enabling Valley Communications to deliver high-speed internet to homes and businesses across Pahrump and  Southern Nye, Esmeralda communities Clark County within Valley Electric's service territory. The goal is to expand fiber broadband access to all of Valley Electric's members, offering fiber to those who do not have access today and eventually replacing the wireless internet service some members currently receive.

Since 2016, Valley Communications and Valley Electric have leveraged a combination of transmission media, including wireless and fiber optics, to offer broadband to members.  The network will be built over Valley Electric's existing electric distribution infrastructure using an architecture that enables super-fast and affordable internet services for members. The network will ultimately be available for all members. Those using other broadband means will be transitioned to the FTTH network as construction reaches their area. Construction began in early 2023, with the initial customer connections anticipated to be in fall 2023. The overall project, spanning 4,300 miles of Valley Electric lines, is expected to be complete within three years. The Valley Communications Association fiber-optic network will give members access to symmetrical gigabit internet capabilities. Additionally, it will enable enhancements and innovative grid capabilities to Valley Electric's infrastructure, including improved power outage response times, better load balancing, more efficient electricity delivery, and more.

Metronet Rolls Out Fiber Internet in Hickory, NC
Metronet has lit fiber internet service to residents and businesses in Hickory. As Metronet becomes widely available throughout Hickory, residents will have access to multi-gigabit speeds up to 2 Gbps; companies may have access to speeds up to 10 Gbps. As Metronet continues construction throughout Hickory, residents in construction areas will receive 30 days’ advance notice by mail about construction activity in their neighborhood. Metronet provides additional messaging, such as yard signs, to notify residents when construction begins in their area. ID tags and branded vehicles mark metronet crews.

NTIA Awards $25.7M in Broadband Grants to Minnesota, New Mexico Tribal Lands
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded two grants totaling more than $25.7 million to two Tribal nations - The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota and the Pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico- as part of the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP).  With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these new grants bring the total of the program to over $1.75 billion awarded to 135 Tribal entities. Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe proposes to install fiber to directly connect 356 unserved Native American households, unserved Native American businesses, and ten unserved community anchor institutions with service ranging from 250/250 Mbps to 1 Gbps.  Pueblo of Acoma proposes to install fiber to directly connect 1,167 unserved Native American households and anchor institutions with a minimum of 25/3 Mbps service. 

Related: The Great Broadband Build

Sean Buckley, Editor in Chief of Broadband Communities and the host of the Broadband Ripple Podcast.  

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