Brightspeed Completes Fiber Build in 13 Wisconsin Communities, Accelerates Expansion Statewide

Brightspeed reported progress on its fiber network build in Wisconsin, saying 30% of the company’s planned network in the state is complete. The update also stated that more than 67,000 homes and businesses already have access, while construction continued in additional communities.

Brightspeed said Wisconsin expansion included completed fiber deployments in a set of communities and that the build continued statewide. The company attributed the pace of construction to demand for faster, more consistent connectivity described as supporting tools and services such as remote work, telehealth, and online learning.

Functionally, the release tied fiber service to performance for activities and applications it named, including video conferencing, uploads of photos and videos, streaming and gaming across multiple devices, and support for cloud-based business tools. It also referenced “AI-driven applications” as part of the everyday life it described.

Brightspeed said its fiber network was 100% complete in Marinette, Sparta, Oconto, Black River Falls, Ladysmith, Wausaukee, Darlington, Thorp, Randolph, Blair, Shullsburg, Muscoda, and Goodman, and listed communities where representatives planned to visit as construction continued: Alma Center, Ashland, Bangor, Baraboo, Black River Falls, Blair, Cadott, Chetek, Cornell, Darlington, Deforest, Fox Lake, La Crosse, Ladysmith, Marinette, Muscoda, Oconto, Platteville, Princeton, Randolph, Seymour, Shullsburg, Sparta, Spooner, Stanley, Thorp, Trempealeau and Wausaukee. The company also cited nearly $138.3 million in federal BEAD funding to enable construction to more than 44,000 additional locations, plus $4.2 million in ARPA funding to reach another 7,100 locations.

“Since I joined the legislature, I have always advocated for expanding access to reliable broadband in rural areas,” said Wisconsin's 17th District State Senator Howard Marklein. “Without adequate broadband service, my constituents are unable to connect to their loved ones, workplace, education, and health care providers. I applaud the effort by Brightspeed to connect thousands of homes, schools, and businesses in rural Wisconsin to our modern economy.” “We're not just building a network; we're building relationships,” said Tshacha Romeo, director of sales channel at Brightspeed.