CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Fiber broadband builder Brightspeed announced Monday that it has completed its fiber network build in several Ohio counties.
Projects were completed in Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Holmes, Morgan and Putnam counties, benefiting nearly 37,000 families and businesses. In Van Wert County, the Brightspeed fiber build has entered the final phase of construction.
“At Brightspeed, we know connectivity is about more than just having service. It’s about opportunity,” said John Mizerak, director of government affairs at Brightspeed. “By replacing outdated copper with advanced fiber, we’re giving families, students and small businesses in rural and underserved communities the fast, dependable internet they need to succeed. This is about ensuring no community is left behind in the digital age.”
Brightspeed representatives are currently visiting neighborhoods across the following Ohio communities to share information about the availability of its fiber internet service: Amherst, Belle Center, Bucyrus, Cortland, Crooksville, Cygnet, Defiance, Eaton, Edison, Fredericktown, Glouster, Jacksonville, Jefferson, Johnstown, Leavittsburg, Lebanon, Lima, Lorain, Mansfield, McConnelsville, Millersburg, Morrow, Mount Gilead, Napoleon, Newton Falls, Orrville, Rittman, Russells Point, Sheffield Lake, Shelby, Swanton, Van Wert, Vermilion, Vienna, Warren, Wauseon, Woodville and Wooster.
When Brightspeed’s statewide buildout is complete, nearly 429,000 homes and businesses will have access to its multi-gig fiber internet service, the company said in a news release.
In addition to its private investment, Brightspeed was awarded $13.8 million in funding from the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant program, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, the Broadband Expansion Authority and BroadbandOhio to extend its planned fiber network build by more than 8,300 across the company’s footprint in the state.