Kinetic Awarded $8.5 Million to Bring Fiber Broadband to Another Three Georgia Counties

By: Windstream Holdings via Business Wire

June 15, 2023 at 12:30 PM EDT

Continuing its commitment to bring faster internet speeds to under-connected communities, Kinetic by Windstream was awarded $8.5 million to expand fiber broadband access in three more Georgia counties.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp made the announcement this week through a second round of the Capital Projects Fund Grant Program in the state. In addition to the grant money from the state, Kinetic will contribute $11.2 million to the projects, bringing the total capital investment for 2,100 locations in these communities to $19.7 million.

"Every day that we bring fiber to customers' homes is a good day," said Michael Foor, president of Georgia state operations for Kinetic. “We are grateful for the leadership of Gov. Kemp to forge public private partnerships that bring high-speed internet to rural locations in Georgia where there is not a business case to serve otherwise.”

Communities covered in this round of grants:

Calhoun - 1,425 locations
Echols - 420 locations
Webster - 299 locations

This is not the first time the state has partnered with Kinetic to bring fiber broadband to under-connected communities. In 2022, Governor Kemp announced the creation of the Capital Projects Fund Grant Program, utilizing funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. The Governor’s Office of Planning & Budget and the Georgia Technology Authority worked together to identify the most unserved and underserved counties in the state and establish a competitive grant process to receive applications for Governor Kemp’s final consideration. Earlier this year, in the first round of funding, Kinetic was awarded $35 million in grants to build out fiber to more than 4,500 homes and businesses in Clay, Clinch, Randolph and Schley counties.

In 2021, Kemp and members of the Broadband Infrastructure Committee announced that $171 million in grants from American Rescue Plan Act was awarded to 18 counties in partnership with Kinetic to bring fiber to those communities.

Planning and engineering are underway for the new projects, and residents can expect to see crews working in these areas soon, with a completion date by the end of 2026, the grant deadline.

About Kinetic

Kinetic by Windstream is a business unit of Windstream Holdings, a privately held communications and software company. Kinetic provides premium broadband, entertainment and security services through an enhanced fiber network to consumers and businesses primarily in rural areas in 18 states. The company also offers managed communications services, including SD-WAN and UCaaS, and high-capacity bandwidth and transport services to businesses across the U.S. Additional information is available at GoKinetic.com. Follow us on Twitter at @GoKineticHome.

Category: Kinetic