Building Broadband: Omni Fiber acquires Citizens Fiber, expanding its Western Pa. footprint

Omni Fiber acquires Citizens Fiber, expanding its Western Pa. footprint
Omni Fiber has acquired Citizens Fiber, a fiber service provider serving communities throughout Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, including Latrobe, Greensburg, Mt. Pleasant, Acme, Pleasant Unity, Mammoth, Youngstown, Norvelt, and surrounding areas. The acquisition expands Omni Fiber's growing network in western Pennsylvania and accelerates its commitment to providing connectivity to underserved communities across the region. Citizens Fiber has established itself as a fiber provider in Westmoreland County, making it a natural fit for Omni Fiber's mission to bring fiber broadband to communities that have historically had limited high-speed Internet options. Together, the two companies will serve an expanded base of residential and business customers with symmetrical speeds of up to 10 Gbps. The acquisition further builds on Omni Fiber's rapid growth trajectory. Omni Fiber has invested over $500 million in fiber network construction and is currently expanding across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Texas. With this acquisition, the company deepens its presence in western Pennsylvania, where it plans to add nearly 200,000 locations in Fayette, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties.

Brightspeed enhances rural Arkansas’ broadband with Johnson County build
Brightspeed has launched multi-gig fiber internet in Arkansas’s Coal Hill, Hartman, and surrounding rural areas, which have long faced limited connectivity options. Once the full buildout is complete, the network will provide fiber-based service to nearly 900 families and businesses in Johnson County. The broadband project was made possible through a combination of $470,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and Brightspeed’s continued investment in its fiber internet expansion across Arkansas. This funding is just a portion of the $294.6 million in ARPA money Brightspeed was awarded to augment the company’s $1 million fiber network deployment investment in 13 states, providing more than 140,000 Americans access to high-speed connectivity they don’t have today.

Comcast lights up broadband in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River Valley
Comcast’s Xfinity has begun connecting the first of over 16,000 new homes and businesses in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna River Valley to multi-gigabit, symmetrical Internet. Already, Comcast has connected its first customers in Milton. At the same time, construction continues across Lewisburg, Mifflinburg, Buffalo Valley, Northumberland Borough, and Point Township, with residents and businesses becoming serviceable on a rolling basis. The project is expected to be completed in 2028. Comcast’s expansion into the Susquehanna River Valley is part of the company’s ongoing investment in Central Pennsylvania, which includes recent expansions to Blair County, Center County, Franklin County, Lycoming County, and Schuylkill County. 

Dobson Fiber commits to Kiowa, Okla., fiber Internet expansion
Dobson Fiber recently kicked off a multi-million-dollar expansion of its fiber internet offering in Kiowa, Okla. Serving 56 communities across Oklahoma and five communities in Arkansas, the company continues to expand its high-speed broadband network in both rural and urban areas, delivering internet speeds up to 10 Gbps for residential customers and up to 100 Gbps for business customers. By leveraging its 6,500+-mile optical middle-mile network and peering relationships, Dobson Fiber provides low-latency connectivity for homes and businesses.

GoNetspeed to bring fiber broadband to Norwich, NY
GoNetspeed plans to connect Norwich, NY, to its fiber network through a $4 million private investment. The service provider will deliver symmetrical speeds of up to 6 Gbps to more than 3,100 households and businesses throughout Norwich. Construction is anticipated to begin this summer, and GoNetspeed expects the first households and businesses to be connected as early as fall of 2026. As GoNetspeed continues to expand its network across New York and the Northeast, Norwich will join more than 30 New York communities already served by GoNetspeed, including Buffalo, Geneva, Lockport and Utica. Additional communities, including Oneonta, part of a recent $4.5 million expansion, are soon to be connected.

IdeaTek boosts Burns, Elbing and Whitewater, Kansas’ broadband status
After nearly two years of steadfast advocacy, construction is set to begin on the BAG 4.0 Butler Marion Project, funded by a $900,000 grant from the Kansas Office of Broadband Development. The project will bring high-speed fiber internet to 586 previously unserved homes and businesses. The grant was originally awarded in July 2024. IdeaTek remained ready throughout the process to begin construction as soon as final approval was granted. Construction of the grant project will begin this month. A groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the project took place on May 26 in Whitewater, with state and city officials in attendance. The project is further strengthened by $37,500 in local matching funds, reflecting strong support from the three communities involved.

Spectrum gives Manatee County, Florida, a new broadband option
Spectrum launched Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 275 homes and small businesses in Manatee County, Florida. Spectrum’s multi-year rural construction initiative is driven by more than $7 billion in Spectrum's private investment. It will ultimately add 100,000+ miles of fiber-optic network infrastructure and deliver symmetrical, multi-gigabit internet access to more than 1.7 million new locations across the country.