Broadband services provider NorthState says it has developed a public/private partnership with Orange County, NC, that will result in approximately 28,000 homes and businesses in the county being passed with fiber to the premises (FTTP). Nearly 10,000 locations covered in the partnership current have little or no internet service, according to NorthState.
Orange County will use American Rescue Plan Act funds to support deployment of FTTP to the approximately 10,000 addresses in unserved and underserved areas referenced above. NorthState will use its own funds to reach another 18,000 Orange County homes and businesses. NorthState also will provide fiber internet service to approximately two dozen county-owned anchor institutions, including fire stations and EMS and community centers.
NorthState expects to begin deployment work in the next few weeks and plans to install approximately 990 miles of fiber within Orange County. Service availability in some areas should begin in Spring 2023. The company says it will offer internet at rates up to 2-Gbps symmetric.
“We thank the Orange County Board of Commissioners for selecting NorthState for this crucial community project to help close the digital divide. For those in Orange County who currently have little or no access to fiber internet, this project will be life changing. It’s simply the fastest internet available,” NorthState CEO Diego Anderson said. “NorthState and Orange County are jointly making large investments in Orange County by installing a fiber-optic network that is future-proof, one that will fuel continuing growth and expanded economic opportunities.”
“Improving access to high-speed internet to all areas of the county is a priority for the Board of Commissioners, and we are excited to begin this project using $10 million of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funding,” added Orange County Commissioner Sally Greene, who co-chaired the Orange County Broadband Task Force along with Commissioner Earl McKee. “Orange County is leading the way in crafting a solution to this problem that challenges so many counties."
For related articles, visit the FTTx Topic Center.
For more information on FTTx technology and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of fiber network deployments, subscribe to Lightwave’s Service Providers and Datacom/Data Center newsletters.