Kinetic by Windstream said the initial stages of a multi-year, $2 billion expansion of its gigabit broadband fiber network saw the addition of 129,000 customer locations in the first quarter of 2021. The broadband service provider also announced upcoming fiber network deployments in Pennsylvania and St. Johns County, FL.
Many of the new gigabit broadband fiber deployments target rural areas, according to the company. The new deployments in the first quarter of the year, alongside other network enhancements, led to approximately 13,000 net broadband customer adds in the first quarter. Kinetic by Windstream expects its network to pass more than a million homes and small and medium-sized business by the end of the year.
“Kinetic by Windstream is building the broadband network of the future. We are investing billions to bring fiber internet service to millions of houses across our 18-state footprint,” said Jeff Small, president of Kinetic. “Gigabit speeds are becoming increasingly important in an era when many are working remotely or accessing education or healthcare online. Kinetic is investing in its broadband network to meet the growing technology needs of its customers.”
As part of its footprint expansion efforts, Kinetic by Windstream has announced deployment initiatives in Pennsylvania and Florida. In the former case, the company says its fiber to the premises (FTTP) network in the state will be expanded by approximately 56,000 locations by the end of 2021. The FTTP network currently reaches more than 83,000 customer locations in Pennsylvania. Kinetic is seeking public/private partnership opportunities to further its expansion in the state. “Public-private partnerships enable Kinetic to more rapidly deploy the faster internet speeds our customers need, and that’s why we’re actively looking for communities as well as electric cooperatives that want to join us in this vital effort,” commented Jeanne Shearer, Kinetic vice president of state government affairs in Pennsylvania.
The upcoming Florida deployment provides an illustration of Shearer’s point. Kinetic has reached an agreement with St. Johns County that will see 192 homes and businesses in the rural county passed by FTTP infrastructure. The broadband network expansion will leverage CARES Act funding awarded through the St. Johns County Board of Commissioners in addition to Kinetic’s own capital. The FTTP deployment has already begun, with completion expected this fall.
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