Brightspeed expands broadband service in Johnson City (TN) area

Brightspeed launched a high-speed internet service that it hopes to reach 160,000 homes and small businesses in Johnson City, Elizabethton, Kingsport, and other surrounding communities in Tennessee. Brightspeed, which is headquartered in Charlotte (NC), is currently the nation’s fourth-largest fiber broadband builder. The company is looking to fill a need in a market where one in 10 Tennessee residents do not have access to high-speed internet. Brightspeed was one of the recipients of $162.7 million in state broadband grants that were announced by Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development in April 2024. That money is being used to expand broadband in another part of Tennessee that is serviced by Brightspeed. Brightspeed plans to serve 41,500 locations in Johnson City, where it currently has service available to 25,500 homes and businesses.