FiberLight Deploys High Speed Internet To Texas Schools

August 13, 2024 – Fiber provider FiberLight announced that it will provide 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) fiber optic speeds for 59 school districts in the Texas Panhandle on Tuesday.

The region comprises 60 individual school districts and three charter schools with 226 campuses. It benefits from the Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate program, which provides discounts to assist eligible schools and libraries in obtaining affordable internet access. 

“The connectivity that FiberLight will bring to rural communities within the panhandle aligns with and is a primary goal of the E-Rate program,” said FiberLight in the press release.

"Through this deal, we're delivering fiber across 26,000 square miles to a vast majority of those in the Texas Panhandle," explained Ron Kormos, Chief Strategy Officer at FiberLight. "What's most exciting is what this connectivity will mean to the teachers, students, and staff at Region 16 schools and the long tail effect to the area's city halls, police and fire departments, hospitals, and the private sector, which will also benefit from this investment."

CEO of FiberLight Bill Major said that "initially, our fiber backbone will benefit students and educators, but in the long term, there will be a knock-on effect that will activate last-mile fiber providers to deliver fiber to area homes and businesses."

The company is planning on breaking ground on the project by the first quarter of 2024. It currently has approximately 19,000 route miles of fiber networks and operates in over 430 cities in the U.S.

FiberLight announced in May that it will expand fiber optic networks in Virginia.