Building Broadband: Brightspeed $9.8M NJBIDE grant to expand broadband to underserved New Jersey communities; Comcast builds new fiber broadband network in Westlake, Florida

Brightspeed awarded $9.8M NJBIDE grant to expand broadband to underserved New Jersey communities 
Brightspeed received a New Jersey Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Equity (NJBIDE) grant – a step in expanding broadband access to historically underserved communities across the Garden State. The $9.8 million grant will help Brightspeed deploy its fiber network in Sussex and Warren Counties. In April, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) approved $40 million in grants that will bring broadband to more than 9,000 broadband serviceable locations (BSLs) in seven counties in the state. The grants were made possible by the NJBIDE Pilot Program. Brightspeed’s internet service reaches more than 17,100 homes and businesses across Sussex and Warren Counties. The new funding will expand this critical resource to another 3,315 locations, including 1,113 businesses, 2,172 homes, and 30 community anchor institutions. 

Comcast builds new fiber broadband network in Westlake, Florida
Comcast is constructing a fiber-optic Internet network that will be built across Westlake, Florida, serving more than 1,200 homes and businesses. The construction is being completed in phases and will continue through 2026. Construction is complete in The Pines, The Terraces 1 & 2, and Woodlands communities, enabling more than 850 homes to access the company's network. Crews plan to expand the network in The Hammocks and The Terraces 3 neighborhoods. The goal is to develop the fiber network to reach even more homes as new developments are built in the city. This new network will provide Westlake with access to speeds of up to 1 Gbps for residential customers and up to 100 Gbps for businesses.

Kinetic completes 60% of $39 million fiber internet build in Lowndes County, GA
Kinetic has completed more than 60% of its planned fiber expansion in Lowndes County, now delivering multi-gig fiber internet speeds to 8,900 homes and businesses. The $39 million fiber funded by a strategic public-private partnership between Lowndes County, Kinetic and Colquitt Electric Membership Corporation (EMC)—intends to bring connectivity to more than 14,000 locations once complete. The entire build is expected to be completed by 2025 and will include over 800 miles of fiber cable. Kinetic, the State of Georgia, and 25 counties have partnered to invest over $354 million in Georgia broadband infrastructure development since the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law in 2021. This project is being administered through the State of Georgia and Lowndes County, supported in whole or part by the American Rescue Plan Act State Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, award number GA-0011307, a federal award granted to the State of Georgia by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Mediacom to bring symmetrical gigabit speeds to 1M homes by the end of 2026
Mediacom Communications plans to bring multi-gig and symmetrical speed broadband services to one million homes and businesses by the end of 2026. The cable MSO has already deployed enhanced speed offerings to over 185,000 households in larger Iowa cities, including Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, and West Des Moines, as well as smaller communities in Kentucky and Minnesota. With upgrade projects now underway in the company’s Delaware, Metro Minneapolis, and Quad Cities markets, Mediacom expects to offer enhanced broadband services to over 500,000 households by the end of 2025.

Summit Broadband invests with the Orlando Economic Partnership
Summit Broadband has made a new investment with the Orlando Economic Partnership (OEP), strengthening its commitment to the economic prosperity and future development of Central Florida. The OEP is dedicated to attracting, relocating, retaining, and expanding businesses within Orlando and the broader Central Florida area. For over 30 years, Summit Broadband has been deeply committed to the community and the local economy, noting its support for several OEP Board Members who are also long-term Summit Broadband partners, including respected organizations like Orlando Health, AdventHealth, Universal Parks and Resorts, KPMG, UCF, Tavistock, Nemours, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Orange County, and Valencia College.