Brightspeed Awarded Another $110.7M in BEAD Grants, Boosts Broadband Expansion in Four More States*

Amps up company’s total BEAD grant funding across 10 states to $332.8M to reach nearly 93K Americans living in rural areas

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Brightspeed, the nation’s third-largest fiber broadband builder, announced it has secured a total of $110,727,348 in federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program grants to supercharge its fiber expansion in four states. The new funding will help connect an additional 19,222 homes and businesses to its multi-gig-speed Brightspeed Fiber Internet network in Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina and Tennessee. This follows the company’s recent announcement that it was awarded more than $222 million in BEAD grants to reach more than 73,000 locations in Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin with its blazing fast fiber network.

“From the start, our vision has been bold: to transform what’s possible for millions of people in rural and suburban America,” said Brightspeed Executive Chairman & CEO Michel Combes. “The BEAD program accelerates that vision, opening the door to life-changing connections that inspire learning, drive innovation, support businesses, spark local economies and strengthen communities for generations to come. We are committed to pursuing even more BEAD funding to bring this promise of connection and opportunity across our 20-state footprint.”

Brightspeed is already investing billions into the deployment of next-generation fiber-optic broadband network technology to more than five million locations across 20 states including Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina and Tennessee. In fact, its multi-gig-speed Brightspeed Fiber Internet service is already available to nearly 630,000 homes and businesses in those states, with thousands more coming online each month.

This is the breakdown of the latest BEAD program awards:

“For families, students, and small businesses, fast and reliable internet is a bridge to opportunity,” said Brightspeed Broadband Office Vice President Pamela Sherwood. “With support from the BEAD program, we can extend that bridge to more communities across our footprint—connecting people to better jobs, education, health care, and the tools they need to thrive right where they live and work.”

The BEAD grants build on more than $261 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds already awarded to Brightspeed in Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina and Tennessee. Combined with nearly $128 million in the company’s private investment, the ARPA funds will give more than 114,000 Americans in those four states access to high-speed connectivity they don’t have today.

Brightspeed continues to pursue state and federal grants and funds to accelerate with one goal in mind: delivering fast, reliable internet to the people and places that need it most.

^{*Provisionally awarded pending approval by NTIA}

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 nearly 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.

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SOURCE Brightspeed