Empire Fiber lights up first customers on its Madison County, New York fiber network
Madison County, New York’s first customers are now connected to the County’s publicly owned and privately operated fiber broadband network, and additional areas are ready to begin receiving service. The announcement in the Town of Sullivan comes almost exactly three years after the first hut housing the network was placed in that same spot. Construction of the nearly 389-mile fiber network is now nearing completion, with additional locations expected to become serviceable as final construction and activation work continues. Currently, the network between the Towns of Cazenovia, Sullivan, and Lenox is the first to be serviceable. The project began when Madison County was awarded a $10.1 million USDA ReConnect grant in 2021, now $12.7 million, to help bring high-speed internet to 1,087 unserved homes and businesses. Construction officially began in November 2023. For many residents, the expansion will also mean having a new choice in internet providers. The $31 million Madison County Connect Project is funded and supported through the USDA Rural Development ReConnect Program, the New York State ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Program, Empire Fiber Internet and Madison County. In addition to the funded areas, Empire Fiber Internet is also expanding service beyond the funded footprint, including addresses in Cazenovia, Chittenango, and Canastota along the County’s backbone, as well as select neighborhoods within those communities. 

Comcast breaks ground on new Barrington, New Hampshire broadband network
Comcast started construction to connect more than 4,000 new homes and businesses in Barrington to multi-gigabit, symmetrical Internet. With the project ongoing, the first homes and businesses are expected to have access to Xfinity and Comcast Business services in the coming weeks. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Comcast’s most recent expansion to Barrington is part of the company’s latest investment in New Hampshire’s Strafford County, which also includes expansions to Farmington, Milton, and New Durham, along with other Granite State communities such as Deerfield and Northwood.

Fidium expands fiber internet service in Bridgton, Maine
Fidium has expanded its all-fiber internet service in Bridgton, Maine, with multi-gig speed access now available to more than 4,400 homes and businesses in the community. Residents and business owners can check their address to learn more about service options and availability. The service provider will offer 300 Mbps to 2 Gbps of symmetrical service over a 100% fiber network. Fidium representatives will visit Bridgton over the coming weeks to share information about service options and availability. In Maine, Fidium’s all-fiber network spans more than 22,000 miles and is available to more than 539,000 homes and businesses.

Gateway Fiber fuels fiber expansion with a $578M financing round
Gateway Fiber has closed a $578 million financing platform, attracting strong interest from banks and institutional bond investors. The platform combines Gateway Fiber’s inaugural $333 million asset-backed securitization (ABS) with a $245 million development financing facility. Together, these transactions strengthen the company’s capital structure, enhance capital efficiency, and establish a scalable financing framework designed to support Gateway’s long-term growth plans. The ABS is backed by a diversified portfolio of fiber and fixed wireless assets, together with the associated customer contracts and recurring revenues. The development facility will fund the continued construction and expansion of its network. Proceeds from both transactions will refinance existing debt, fund required transaction reserves and expenses and provide additional liquidity to support Gateway’s ongoing growth initiatives.

Optimum enhances its Amarillo network resiliency with $2M investment
Optimum is investing nearly $2 million in network resiliency improvements through 2027, strengthening the infrastructure behind the high-speed internet service it provides to residential customers and businesses throughout the community. The service provider’s latest investments are focused on strengthening that network, improving reliability, and preparing the community for future disruptions. As part of its ongoing investment in Amarillo, Optimum has completed approximately 27,400 feet – more than five miles – of network infrastructure improvements throughout the market. The work includes upgrades to aerial and underground coaxial cable, as well as fiber infrastructure that supports the network's backbone. Optimum is investing approximately $600,000 in 2026 and 2027 through its Battery Backup Program to strengthen the network’s ability to remain operational during power disruptions and other events that can affect critical infrastructure. 

Spectrum deepens its Logan County, Ohio fiber broadband footprint
Spectrum has expanded its fiber broadband network to bring Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to nearly 2,600 additional homes and businesses in previously unserved or underserved areas of Logan County, Ohio, including locations near Bellefontaine, Logansville, Quincy and DeGraff. Spectrum is driving the multi-year rural construction initiative with more than $7 billion in private investment. It will ultimately add 100,000 miles of fiber network infrastructure and deliver symmetrical, multi-gigabit speeds to more than 1.7 million new locations nationwide.

TDS brings fiber broadband to Bend, Oregon
TDS Telecommunications is investing to improve connectivity and fiber infrastructure in the Bend, Oregon, area. The Bend Fiber Upgrades project will bring fiber internet to TDS’ existing network, improving connections for more homes and businesses in Central Oregon. Having served the region since 2014, TDS is investing millions of dollars in the first phase of a multi-year effort to upgrade services to about 30,000 addresses across the Bend area. The TDS fiber network features symmetrical speeds up to 8 Gbps. TDS also offers 10 Gbps dedicated connections for businesses, landline phone packages, and TDS Mobile, which provides nationwide 5G coverage. Construction will begin in the coming weeks and will be completed in phases throughout Bend. In the first phase, TDS crews will lay more than 200 miles of fiber as part of its infrastructure upgrade using a combination of aerial and underground installation methods.

WOW! boosts East Tennessee network presence in 20,000 homes and businesses
WOW! Internet will construct and activate a new fiber network serving over 20,000 homes and businesses in Anderson and Roane counties in East Tennessee. The activations will begin in January in Oak Ridge. Additional activations are planned in Clinton and Oliver Springs later in the year. The cable MSO’s Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) technology delivers a dedicated fiber-optic connection from the WOW! network directly to each residence or business, enabling speeds up to 5 Gbps. Early in the new year, WOW! will also launch Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) and carrier-grade, scalable Ethernet Transport and wholesale services for businesses, including point-to-point and point-to-multi-point services.