Building Broadband: Brightspeed secures $528M in BEAD funding to expand fiber in 17 States; Comcast to light broadband for nearly 8K locations in Teays Valley, WV

Brightspeed secures $528M in BEAD funding to expand fiber in 17 states
Brightspeed has won federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program funds totaling $528,162,466.97 across 17 states. This is a massive boost to the company’s mission of bringing lightning-fast internet to underserved rural communities. The latest states to announce BEAD program awards include Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and South Carolina, where Brightspeed was awarded $181 million to reach an additional 90,852 homes and businesses with its multi-gig-speed Brightspeed Fiber Internet network. In addition to the BEAD program funding, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin have already awarded Brightspeed nearly $294.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to augment the company’s multi-million-dollar fiber network deployment investment in those states. The ARPA funds will give more than 140,000 Americans in those 13 states access to high-speed connectivity they don’t have today.

Comcast to light broadband for nearly 8K locations in Teays Valley, WV
Comcast is connecting over 7,500 new homes and businesses in the Teays Valley, WV area to symmetrical Internet. This expansion includes two areas in Teays Valley: Hurricane, WV, and Scott Depot, WV. In Hurricane, WV, Comcast has begun construction to connect more than 5,000 homes and businesses, and the first addresses will be serviceable in early 2026. Likewise, in Scott Depot, WV, construction is underway to connect more than 2,500 homes and businesses, and services are already available to some residents.

Ezee begins building fiber in Texas’s Dayton, Liberty, Brookshire, and Kenefick communities
In partnership with the cities of Dayton, Liberty, Brookshire and Kenefick, Texas, Ezee Fiber has started construction in the public right of way to expand the availability of its fiber internet services. Ezee Fiber is now constructing the infrastructure to make its network available to thousands of area homes and businesses in these four Texas communities, including its full suite of services, like multi-gig broadband speeds for residential and business customers. It expects construction to continue until 2026.

GeoLinks and Intracom Telecom demonstrate multi-gigabit connectivity on licensed spectrum
GeoLinks and Intracom Telecom conducted a demonstration of GeoLinks' 29/31GHz licensed spectrum ahead of the upcoming WISPAPALOOZA 2025 tradeshow. Installed atop the iconic Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, the Intracom Telecom WiBAS™ G5 Point-to-Multipoint (PtMP) Smart Base Station will serve as a live showcase of fiber-like performance at the wireless show. Through their strategic collaboration, GeoLinks and Intracom Telecom demonstrate the combined strengths of GeoLinks' nationwide licensed spectrum rights and hybrid fiber–wireless infrastructure, together with Intracom Telecom's WiBAS™ G5 FWA platform.

IdeaTek expands Kansas reach with Epic Touch acquisition
IdeaTek Telcom has agreed to acquire fiber internet operator Elkhart Telephone, including its Epic Touch brand. By bringing its operational efficiencies, IdeaTek plans to enhance service offerings, including its 8 Gbps service with unlimited data and no contracts, as well as further investment in the rural areas currently served by Epic Touch.  Elkhart Telephone Company will continue its day-to-day operations and remain the incumbent local exchange carrier in its service area. After meeting customary regulatory approvals, the two companies expect to close the deal in early 2026.

Kinetic completes $3M fiber expansion in China Grove, NC
Kinetic has completed a multimillion-dollar fiber network expansion project in China Grove, bringing multi-gig internet speeds to an additional 3,060 locations across the area. The $3 million project was funded entirely by a private capital investment from Kinetic. The combination of newly placed fiber cables, paired with its already existing fiber network in China Grove, brings high-speed internet to the majority of the town. As a result, China Grove is now officially recognized as a Kinetic ‘Gig-Ready’ community, meaning more than 75% of the town has access to Kinetic’s Next Generation Gigabit Internet.

Lyte Fiber breaks ground on Jefferson, Texas fiber build
Lyte Fiber has invested $2 million in the City of Jefferson to bring a multi-gigabit, all-fiber network to homes and businesses across the city. Lyte’s network will be capable of speeds up to 10 Gbps, and features buried main lines and multiple levels of redundancy to ensure Jefferson stays connected, even during power outages. Construction has begun, with the first customers expected to be online mid-October. The initial phase involves deploying 23 miles of fiber cable to service more than 1,550 homes and businesses, and Lyte plans to expand from there. Lyte Fiber’s privately funded Jefferson network complements the company’s previously announced public/private partnership with the State of Texas to construct a fiber network primarily serving unincorporated Marion County. Once both projects are complete, Lyte Fiber will have more than 280 miles of fiber cable installed throughout Marion County.

Ripple Fiber advances Chicago Metro Area fiber rollout
Ripple Fiber has completed construction in the Elk Grove Village area of Chicago, with crews working ahead of schedule. Soon to follow, construction is expected to kick off in neighboring DuPage County in early 2026. In June 2025, Ripple Fiber broke ground in Elk Grove Village, beginning the buildout of its initial $104 million project. Nearby residents in Naperville, Streamwood, Joliet, and Aurora can expect to receive direct communications and notifications of launch events ahead of the planned construction activity across multiple neighborhoods in 2026.

Surf Internet progresses with Eastern Illinois fiber expansion
Surf Internet recently announced that residents and businesses in Momence, Illinois, now have access to fiber-based internet, with service in nearby Grant Park launching soon. Construction plans are also underway in Beecher, where service is expected to go live before the end of the year. Together, the three communities form a corridor along Illinois Route 1 that will soon be connected by Surf’s multi-gig fiber network, reaching more than 4,200 addresses. Surf has served this part of Illinois since 2002 through fixed wireless internet. This project also establishes a foundation for future rural builds in the surrounding Kankakee and Will counties.

The projects represent an estimated $5.25 million investment by Surf, reaching 1,135 locations in Momence, 568 in Grant Park, and 2,503 in Beecher. Customers will have access to Surf’s multi-gig fiber internet, starting with 2 Gbps plans. Surf said this private investment complements its ambitions under the state’s Connect Illinois program and positions the company well for upcoming federal BEAD awards, both of which are expected to play a transformational role in expanding broadband access across the state.