Brightspeed, which is the nation’s third-largest fiber broadband builder focused on delivering ultrafast, reliable internet, has been awarded $31.2 million by its home state of North Carolina to expand its Brightspeed Fiber Internet network.
Brightspeed will match these Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program funds with $13+ million of its investment to reach over 18,000 additional locations in Beaufort, Caldwell, Carteret, Caswell, Cumberland, Dare, Edgecombe, Greene, Hyde, Jones, Nash, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pitt, Sampson, Tyrrell, Vance, Wake and Wilson Counties.
The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity CAB program funds, combined with the Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) grants awarded to Brightspeed, provide approximately $218.6 million in funding to help connect nearly 99,000 North Carolina households and businesses across 41 counties to its fast network. And between these grants and the company’s investment, Brightspeed is all-in on bringing its fiber-enabled network to nearly 899,000 locations in its home state.
So far, the company has secured over $270 million in local, state, and federal broadband grants and funding, including its first Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program award from Louisiana. And these investments will enable Brightspeed to extend its planned network build by nearly 139,000 locations across 14 states, with more expansions on the horizon.
KEY QUOTES:
“Brightspeed Fiber Internet is already available to more than 430,000 North Carolina families and businesses, and we’re expanding access every day. Earlier this year, we launched our fiber network in Wake Forest, just as we did in Rocky Mount and Asheboro in 2024—communities that previously lacked reliable connectivity. With these additional funds, we can now bring high-speed service to even more underserved areas.”
– Steve Brewer, Brightspeed’s regional director of government affairs
“In today’s fast-paced digital world, both families and businesses rely on high-speed internet to stay competitive and succeed. Expanding access to faster, more affordable, reliable and user-friendly internet has never been more crucial—whether for work, education, telemedicine, entertainment, or simply connecting with family and friends. These grant and subsidy programs are essential to help us provide the services families and businesses need to thrive.”
– Pamela Sherwood, Vice President of Brightspeed Broadband
