BrightRidge Broadband tops 24,000 locations served

JOHNSON CITY — BrightRidge Broadband has topped a major milestone, serving more than 24,000 locations and an estimated 50,000 plus customers with the region’s most advanced fiber network.

The service milestone comes just seven years after BrightRidge Broadband launched in 2019 with the goal of providing a locally owned, future-ready broadband option offering symmetrical speeds of up to 10 Gbps.

“We are particularly honored that 52 percent of all businesses served by our Electric division now choose BrightRidge Broadband,” BrightRidge CEO Jeff Dykes said. “The marketplace response to Broadband reflects the immense confidence our customers place in us. Our entire BrightRidge team, based right here in Boones Creek, stands fully behind our broadband product.”

BrightRidge Broadband has never increased rates since launching in 2019, maintaining pricing even as buildout continues. Consultants projected the BrightRidge Broadband network would pass 41,260 locations by July 2026.

Instead, with federal and state government prioritizing grant funding for broadband expansion, BrightRidge has passed more than 55,000 locations with fiber, nearly 13,000 more than originally projected.

“We have pledged, over time, to eventually offer Broadband to every BrightRidge customer,” Dykes said. “In just seven years, we have fiber available to more than 73 percent of our electric customers and are serving an estimated 50,000 customers with broadband.”

In the past 12 months, BrightRidge completed a $9.54 million Middle Mile grant project with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, extending broadband availability to 2,067 locations in Fall Branch, South Central, Lamar, Bowmantown, Gray and Mill Springs outside Jonesborough.

As a result of the Middle Mile project, BrightRidge Broadband was able to build fiber to another 2,829 adjacent homes and businesses using its own revenues.

 “From the beginning, this has been about making sure our region has access to reliable, affordable and leading-edge infrastructure capable of serving families and businesses for decades to come,” Dykes said. “I think it’s clear from the response, our customers believe BrightRidge Broadband is hitting that target.”

In 2027, BrightRidge will extend service to another 488 locations in Washington County through a $1.65 million BEAD grant while budgeting additional capital to reach approximately 1,200 locations adjacent to the existing network.

To learn more about BrightRidge Broadband availability and services, please visit MyBrightRidge.com or phone customer service at 423-952-5000.