Frontier, Windstream's 2022 broadband grant tally surpasses $200 Million

Frontier Communications and Windstream have collectively raked in more than $210 million worth of broadband grants across nine states thus far in 2022, as the operators look to boost their fiber expansion plans with government support. Frontier has won grants in seven states: California, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin. It scored what appeared to be its largest award of the year in North Carolina, snagging $9.7 million to cover more than 4,600 locations across three counties. The operator also bagged nearly $7.5 million in Wisconsin to cover about 15,200 locations across five counties. Other winnings included $2.2 million in Indiana to serve 474 locations across four counties; $1.7 million to reach just under 3,000 locations in West Virginia; $818,962 to connect parts of Bedford County, Pennsylvania; and $560,463 to cover 94 locations in Harrison and Jefferson Counties in Ohio.

Windstream, which is pursuing its own residential fiber expansion, is also seeing success in the state grant world. The operator has picked up wins in several of the same states as Frontier, including North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In North Carolina, it won awards to cover locations in two counties, though the state did not release the funding totals granted. In Ohio, it snagged several awards totaling more than $6.5 million. Grants across three counties in Pennsylvania totaled around half a million dollars. Beyond these, Windstream also bagged a major win in Georgia early in the year, scoring $171 million to reach more than 80,000 locations across 18 counties. It also won more than $11.5 million in Iowa.