The Buildout is a column from Light Reading tracking broadband network deployments. This week we’re tracking new construction and service launches reaching 31,000 locations across the US. Send us your news at [email protected]. Keep up with every installment of The Buildout hereand sign up for the Light Reading Broadband newsletter here to get The Buildout in your inbox every Friday.
Ethos Broadband connects rural Chimayo
New Mexico’s Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside Ethos Broadband this week, celebrating the completion of Ethos’ fixed wireless access (FWA) deployment in the rural community of Chimayo, located in Rio Arriba County. The project was awarded a $1.3 million Student Connect grant from the state in February 2025 to deploy the fixed wireless network, which now delivers service to 173 rural student households in the Española Public School district. According to a press release, connected student households will receive broadband connectivity at no cost for three years. Ethos Broadband, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based ISP, is an operating division of Sacred Wind Enterprises, which was acquired by Commnet Broadband – a subsidiary of ATN International – in 2022.
TWN connects Hidalgo County students
In another Student Connect project launched in New Mexico this month, Transworld Connect (TWN Communications) launched a fixed wireless network connecting 395 rural student households in the Lordsburg Municipal Schools District, located in Hidalgo County. The project received a $1.5 million Student Connect grant, awarded in November 2025.
WOW expands in South Carolina
WideOpenWest (WOW) announced this week that its fiber broadband network will reach more than 10,000 additional homes and businesses in Greenville County, South Carolina. According to the company, this latest expansion will see WOW reach 20,000 homes and businesses across Greenville County by fall 2026. WOW was taken private in 2025 via a $1.5 billion transaction completed by DigitalBridge Group and Crestview Partners.
Shentel wraps another VATI project
Shenandoah Telecommunications Company – or Shentel – completed work on a project to connect more than 4,100 unserved homes in Campbell County, Virginia. Shentel was awarded $20 million from the state via the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI), with additional funding provided from the county and Shentel’s own investment.
Comcast comes to Leon County, Florida
Comcast said work is underway to connect rural Leon County, Florida, with 100 previously unserved homes and businesses now able to connect to the operator’s Xfinity network. Construction is ongoing and will continue throughout the summer to ultimately connect 3,200 additional locations in the county. Comcast received grant funding from the state’s Broadband Opportunity Program for this project, which covers the Leon County communities of Blocker, Concord, Felkel, Gardner, Lutterloh, Meridan, Miccosukee, Wadesboro and Woodville.
Spectrum connects more rural counties
Charter’s Spectrum launched services in more rural counties in Indiana and Missouri. That includes 3,100 homes and businesses in Wayne County, Indiana; 4,000 homes and businesses in Harrison County, Indiana; and 530 homes and businesses in Blackford County, Indiana. Over in Missouri, Spectrum launched services for 2,900 households in Bollinger County, in and around the regions of Marble Hill and Sedgewickville. Spectrum also launched services to more than 1,400 additional homes and businesses in St. Genevieve County, Missouri, including locations near St. Mary, Bloomsdale, New Offenburg, Weingarten and Avon. In St. Francois County, Missouri, Spectrum connected 2,300 additional homes and businesses in locations near Farmington, Bismark and French Village. Spectrum’s multi-year construction initiative has partial support from the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and state subsidies alongside the company’s $7 billion investment.
Empire expands in Steuben County, New York
Empire Fiber Internet (a.k.a, Empire Access) recently announced the completion of its fiber expansion project in Steuben County, New York. The project, which received roughly $8 million in state grant funding, allocated from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), now connects more than 2,000 homes throughout Avoca, Birdseye Hollow, Caton, Hornby, Howard and Savona, bringing Empire Fiber’s reach across Steuben County to 30,000. Empire Access is majority-owned by Antin Infrastructure Partners, a private equity firm.
Wire 3 progresses in Lake County, Florida
Florida’s Wire 3 announced its fiber network is live for homes and businesses in initial construction areas of Mount Dora, Florida. The region is part of Wire 3’s broader $150 million buildout in Lake County, where it’s also working to connect the communities of Clermont, Eustis, Minneola and Tavares, and in Leesburg, where Wire 3 said it launched services in April. Wire 3 is funded by combined investments via Guggenheim Investments and from Oak Hill Capital, which joined Wire 3 as a majority investor in 2024.