Company invests in community, helps bridge the digital divide through partnership with local nonprofit, Friends of the Library

Dothan, AL – August 8, 2024 – Brightspeed, one of the nation’s largest fiber broadband builders, has made it much easier for residents of Dothan, Alabama to get access to high-speed fiber internet. The company’s investment in the area means more Alabamians have access to connectivity that works. Brightspeed marked an important milestone in its journey to bridge the digital divide in southern Alabama by announcing its rollout of Brightspeed Fiber Internet and partnering with Friends of the Library, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting people to information.

Joined by U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, state and community leaders and Brightspeed customers and employees, Brightspeed hosted a community event that celebrated the Friends of the Library’s new storefront in Dothan and Brightspeed’s launch of its state-of-the-art, high-speed internet service to more than 45,000 families and businesses across the Wiregrass Region. Brightspeed continues to expand its fiber network to close to 25,000 more locations in and around Dothan.

“COVID exposed how crucial broadband access is to every citizen in the nation. The residents of Dothan and the Greater Wiregrass area need to be connected for education, healthcare, business and more,” remarked Senator Tuberville. "With only four in ten Alabamians able to purchase high-speed internet today, Brightspeed’s broadband connectivity and service will help more of the Alabama residents I serve across the state to flourish in today’s technology-driven world and empower residents to engage in the digital economy.”

The table below illustrates the number of homes and businesses in each community that will gain access to the state-of-the-art Brightspeed Fiber Internet network when the company’s multi-year fiber network build is complete.

Brightspeed believes that no community should be left behind and is dedicated to deploying next-generation, fiber-optic technology to build a more reliable, super-fast broadband internet network that will reach more homes and businesses in Alabama — a state that ranks 24^th in the nation when it comes to internet coverage, speed and availability according to BroadbandNow. 

“Reliable internet is no longer a luxury – it's a necessity to live, work, and learn online,” says Brent Beal, director of Government Affairs at Brightspeed. “We are committed to enabling increased access to high-speed connectivity, especially in rural areas that tend to be left behind. We’re proud to partner closely with local municipalities and organizations to build the infrastructure this community really needs.”

Beyond investing in connectivity, Brightspeed is proud to support local nonprofit, the Friends of the Library, which dedicates its resources to supporting the Dothan Houston County Library System as a safe space for Dothan-area residents to be connected to resources and information and come together as a community. During the event, Brightspeed announced a donation of $2,500 to the organization.

“We are so grateful for Brightspeed’s partnership and commitment to bolstering the Dothan community,” says Everlie Bolton, Friends of the Library President. “Libraries are vital for providing communities with access to physical and digital information. The Friends are thankful for Brightspeed partnering with us as we support our local public library in its mission to help Wiregrass residents connect, learn and discover.”  

For more information, please visit www.brightspeed.com.

About Brightspeed

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. and with assets and associated operations in 20 states, Brightspeed provides broadband and telecommunications services through a network platform capable of serving more than 6.5 million homes and businesses. Our more than 4,000 employees are committed to building a future where more communities benefit from a more connected life, deploying a state-of-the-art fiber network and a customer experience that makes being connected as simple as it should be.