Kinetic gets Union County, GA fiber broadband project underway
Kinetic has broken ground on a new fiber network that will provide gigabit-speed fiber broadband services to more than 7,300 customer locations in Union County, Georgia.
Union County has been a critical target for Kinetic, having already built out service to 8,400 locations.
Combined with the 8,400 other locations Kinetic already made “gig ready,” these homes add up to more than 15,700 locations in the county eligible for Kinetic’s fiber broadband.
Focus on fiber
When this project is completed next year, the $20.5 million expansion project will make more than 7,300 homes, businesses, and schools in Blairsville, Suches, and nearby unserved and underserved areas eligible for fiber internet for the first time.
Kinetic will invest $8.9 million and cover any cost overruns to lay 550 miles of fiber cable.
“The people in Blairsville, Suches and other communities will soon no longer be underserved and unserved,” said Michael Foor, Kinetic Georgia operations President, during the recent launch event.
Public-Private Partnership
Like other fiber projects it has launched in Georgia and other regions, this expansion project results from a public–private partnership between the county and Kinetic.
Union County will use about $11.2 million in state grant money from the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program, part of the federal American Rescue Plan. The county has also committed an additional $500,000 in matching funds.
For its part, Kinetic will invest $8.9 million and cover any cost overruns. The broadband provider covered the entire project cost when making the earlier 8,400 locations gig-ready.
“This groundbreaking signifies the start of new possibilities for Union County,” said Georgia Broadband Program Executive Director Jessica Simmons. “Technology is ever evolving, and this project will bring broadband that can handle present and future demands to this community. I’m glad the county collaborated with Kinetic to expand this critical service to more than 7,300 unserved homes and businesses.”
Union County is one of a growing group of communities where Kinetic has established a public-private partnership to fund new fiber broadband deployments. The provider has set similar agreements with communities in Georgia and Kentucky, including Colquitt County, GA; Bullitt County, KY; Chattooga County, GA; and Lumpkin County, GA.
About the Author
Sean BuckleySean Buckley
Sean is the Editor-in-Chief of Lightwave. He establishes and executes Lightwave's editorial strategy across its website, email newsletters, events, and other information products. Before coming to Lightwave in July 2023, he served as editor of Broadband Communities. Earlier, he served as senior editor of FierceTelecom and the editor of the former Telecommunications Magazine. He got his start in the optical industry in 1998 when he became the editor of enterprise and optical networks at Information Gatekeepers. He has a BA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and lives in Dracut, Mass, with his wife, two sons, and his cat, Dove.
