Brightspeed Wins $31.2M to Bring Blazing-Fast Internet to More North Carolina Homes and Businesses

New investment in home state adds ~18K more locations to fiber network

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brightspeed, the nation's third-largest fiber broadband builder dedicated to delivering ultrafast, reliable internet, has been awarded $31.2 million by its home state of North Carolina to expand its cutting-edge Brightspeed Fiber Internet network. Brightspeed will match these Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program funds with more than $13 million of its own investment to reach more than 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.

"Brightspeed Fiber Internet is already available to more than 430,000 North Carolina families and businesses, and we're expanding access every day," said Steve Brewer, Brightspeed's regional director of government affairs. "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."

The N.C. Department of Information Technology's (NCDIT) Division of Broadband and Digital Equity CAB program funds, together 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 blazing fast network. Between these grants, and the company's own investment, Brightspeed is all-in on bringing its fiber-enabled network to nearly 899,000 locations in its home state.

"In today's fast-paced digital world, both families and businesses rely on high-speed internet to stay competitive and succeed," said Pamela Sherwood, Vice President of Brightspeed Broadband. "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."

Brightspeed, recognized as the Fastest Internet Service Provider in the nation in the 2025 Annual Internet Service Provider Review by HighSpeedInternet.com, continues to actively pursue additional state and federal funding, including BEAD Program funds, to further expand its fiber network and help close the state's digital divide. To date, the company has secured more than $270 million in local, state, and federal broadband grants and funding, including its first Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program award from Louisiana. 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.

About Brightspeed
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and with assets and associated operations in 20 states, Brightspeed provides broadband and telecommunications services through a network platform capable of serving more than 7.3 million homes and businesses. Our 4,000 employees are committed to building a future where more communities benefit from a more connected life, deploying a state-of-the-art fiber network and a customer experience that makes being connected as simple as it should be. For more information, please visit www.brightspeed.com.

SOURCE Brightspeed