BrightRidge Is Connecting Rural Communities With Broadband
BrightRidge continues to expand its new fiber optic and wireless infrastructure to ensure that broadband is available to more people.
Sponsored by: BrightRidge
Even those who want to get away from it all still need to stay connected.
Longtime public utility company BrightRidge is helping ensure that residents also have easy access to remote work, distance education and telehealth needs.
That’s true for many of the outdoor enthusiasts and others who are attracted to the Johnson City and the Washington County, TN, area by the region’s natural beauty and lifestyle.
Since 2019, BrightRidge has been steadily expanding its new fiber optic and wireless infrastructure, bringing high-speed broadband options to an increasing number of its 83,000 electric customers.
“A lot of people move here so they can take advantage of all the natural attractions and outdoor activities that this region is known for, but they still want the broadband services that are typically available in a bigger city,” BrightRidge Chief Broadband and Technology Officer Stacy Evans says.
When BrightRidge launched broadband, the company was the first in the United States to offer 10GIG symmetrical fiber internet. During the past four years, BrightRidge has expanded its broadband network to over 36,000 locations.
The program is proving to be so popular that BrightRidge is increasing its fiber connections by at least 17,000 homes and business in the coming year, bringing the total to approximately 53,000. Grants and other funding might take that number to near 60,000.
“We have been able to accelerate our planned rollout by two years in urban area and six years in rural areas,” Evans says. “Our ultimate goal is to make fiber broadband available to every electric customer in our service territory.”
The results have been noticed nationally. A 2022 Wall Street Journal article named Johnson City as the top emerging housing market in the country and cited the availability of high-speed internet as a contributing factor. In addition, PC Magazine listed Jonesborough No. 5 on its 2021 ranking of the best work-from-home cities.
“Having the broadband option available is an economic development tool,” Evans says. “And it definitely improves the quality of life for residents.”
