Kinetic by Windstream, a long-trusted community partner for high-speed internet, will significantly expand the number of customer locations in its Pennsylvania service area that qualify for fiber-backed, symmetrical one-gigabit broadband service in 2021.
More than 83,000 customer locations in the company’s Pennsylvania footprint currently qualify for lightning-fast, one-gigabit broadband, up from zero in 2016. Kinetic will build one-gig, fiber-to-the-premise connections to approximately 56,000 additional locations by the end of 2021.
“This aggressive expansion of gigabit speeds underscores Kinetic’s commitment to the rural communities we serve in Pennsylvania,” said Susan Schraibman, president of Kinetic operations in the commonwealth. “Since 2018, we have invested almost $152 million in these communities because we understand how important high-speed broadband is to our customers’ ability to work, learn and consume entertainment.”
Jeanne Shearer, Kinetic vice president of state government affairs in Pennsylvania, noted that it is often cost-prohibitive to build broadband networks in thinly populated rural areas.
“Public-private partnerships enable Kinetic to more rapidly deploy the faster internet speeds our customers need, and that’s why we’re actively looking for communities as well as electric cooperatives that want to join us in this vital effort,” Shearer said.
Kinetic by Windstream recently announced its first public-private partnership in Pennsylvania with Greene County to expand broadband service.
Kinetic 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 and 5G fixed wireless service to consumers and businesses primarily in rural areas in 18 states.
Windstream also offers managed communications services, including SD-WAN and UCaaS, and high-capacity bandwidth and transport services to businesses across the U.S.