Brightspeed has revealed plans to expand its all-fiber internet network to Lima, Ohio, signaling a major investment in next-generation broadband access. The project places Allen County on the map of communities advancing toward a faster, more reliable digital future. As Ohio intensifies its statewide efforts to close connectivity gaps and attract digital infrastructure investment, Brightspeed’s move aligns directly with the state's larger broadband goals.

Residents and local businesses in Lima will soon gain access to fiber internet capable of delivering gigabit-level speeds. This expansion highlights three intertwined priorities: upgrading telecommunications technology, boosting local economies through improved digital services, and extending high-speed internet access to previously underserved areas. Fast, dependable internet no longer functions as a luxury—it's the baseline for regional growth and participation in the digital economy. Care to see what's changing in Lima? Let's break it down.

Strategic Growth: Why Brightspeed Chose Lima, Ohio for Fiber Expansion

Brightspeed’s Company Strategy: Building the Largest Independent Fiber Network

Brightspeed's overarching strategy revolves around scaling an advanced fiber-optic network across underserved and overlooked regions in the United States. Following its spin-off from Lumen Technologies in 2022, Brightspeed has aggressively pursued fiber buildouts intended to reach over 3 million locations across 20 states by 2025. The company's investment commitment runs into the billions—$2 billion earmarked specifically for fiber deployments through this timeline.

This strategy positions Brightspeed as a high-impact player capable of transforming the broadband landscape in historically neglected areas. By controlling its infrastructure from end to end, the company eliminates legacy barriers and accelerates deployment. The goal isn't incremental upgrades; it's structural modernization of digital access.

Why Lima, Ohio Emerged as a Priority Location

Lima sits at the confluence of geographic and demographic factors that align with Brightspeed's criteria for strategic growth. The city’s population of roughly 35,000 lies within a service region heavily dominated by lower-speed DSL and cable. It represents a gap in modern infrastructure that fiber can decisively fill.

Additionally, Lima functions as an economic and logistics hub for Northwestern Ohio. With robust transportation links and a strong portfolio of manufacturing and healthcare operations, the city presents substantial demand potential for faster, more reliable broadband connections. Brightspeed also identified Lima as a market where infrastructure investment would face fewer regulatory delays and stronger local partnerships, accelerating time-to-launch.

Long-Term Vision: Leading the Future of Rural and Regional Connectivity

Brightspeed’s entry into Lima is not a one-off project. It’s a foundational move in a broader regional roadmap. The company is aiming to do more than supply internet access. It envisions building internet ecosystems capable of powering smart cities, telehealth, cloud-based education, and remote commerce. Each new connection feeds into a larger grid designed to scale with evolving digital demands.

This vision reflects a shift away from bandwidth as a commodity toward a future where fiber infrastructure acts as an economic multiplier in midsized American cities. By targeting markets where the digital divide is most pronounced and delivering a future-proof solution, Brightspeed expects to redefine the baseline for regional broadband service expectations.

What Is Fiber Broadband and Why It Matters

Fiber-Optic Internet: Redefining Connectivity

Fiber broadband transmits data using light signals over strands of glass or plastic fibers. Unlike copper-based DSL or coaxial cable lines, fiber-optic cables carry data at nearly the speed of light, resulting in minimal latency and dramatically higher bandwidth capacity. This makes fiber the fastest and most reliable residential broadband technology available today.

Data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reports that fiber can deliver symmetrical speeds exceeding 1 Gbps—upload and download—far outpacing the national average for traditional broadband connections. This enables users to handle massive data transfer in real time and stream ultra-high-definition content without buffering delays.

Performance That Transforms Everyday Experience

• Instantaneous Loading: Websites, cloud platforms, and large files load faster, enhancing productivity across devices.
• Consistent Video Quality: Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube maintain ultra-HD resolution without interruptions—no throttling, no pixelation.
• Seamless Communication: Video conferencing through Zoom or Microsoft Teams stays clear and uninterrupted, even during peak usage hours.

Gamers benefit as well. Fiber’s low latency reduces lag, making it the preferred choice for competitive and cloud gaming environments. Upload speeds are especially critical for remote work and content creators uploading large media files in real time.

Surpassing Legacy Technologies

Traditional broadband—primarily DSL and cable—struggles under high demand. DSL relies on copper telephone lines and typically delivers speeds under 100 Mbps; its performance degrades over distance. Cable internet, which uses coaxial lines, shares bandwidth among neighbors, often causing congestion during peak hours.

In contrast, fiber connections maintain stable speeds regardless of neighborhood usage. They also offer better scalability, allowing infrastructure upgrades without reinstallation. Once fiber lines are in place, delivering 10 Gbps service is technically feasible with simple equipment enhancements—futureproofing communities for decades.

Empowering Lima with High-Speed Internet Connectivity

Transforming Access for Residents and Businesses

Fiber broadband brings symmetrical internet speeds that enable seamless streaming, real-time collaboration, and faster cloud access across devices. With Brightspeed’s expansion into Lima, hundreds of households and small businesses will experience a step-change in connectivity—far beyond what legacy DSL or cable services can deliver.

For remote workers and students, uninterrupted video conferencing and large file transfers become the norm, not the exception. Entrepreneurs in Lima will be able to operate online-first businesses and tap into broader digital markets, powered by the consistent upload and download speeds that fiber makes possible. E-commerce storefronts load faster, customer service platforms work without lag, and logistics teams see instant inventory updates.

Scaling Internet for Tomorrow’s Demands

Modern internet usage has outgrown traditional bandwidth capacities. According to data from Cisco’s Annual Internet Report, by 2023, nearly two-thirds of the global population was expected to have internet access, with average speeds continuing to increase annually. Fiber infrastructure doesn’t just meet current demands—it positions communities like Lima for accelerated growth.

Unlike cable, which shares bandwidth across neighborhoods, fiber networks deliver dedicated connections to each premise. This architecture eliminates speed degradation during peak usage and prepares homes for the increasing adoption of 4K streaming, cloud gaming, VR applications, and smart home systems. As households connect more devices and businesses scale their digital operations, scalable gigabit service becomes foundational.

Fueling Ohio’s Regional Tech Competitiveness

By investing in Lima’s network, Brightspeed is contributing to a broader wave of digital infrastructure transformation across mid-sized Midwest cities. Cities like Columbus and Cincinnati continue to grow as tech hubs; fiber builds in places like Lima counterbalance that by enabling decentralized innovation and workforce diversification.

Access to enterprise-grade internet levels the playing field for Lima-based startups, telehealth providers, and education institutions. It shortens the connectivity gap between urban and regional economies while making Lima more attractive to knowledge workers looking for affordability without sacrificing digital capability.

• Education benefits: Local schools and colleges gain access to cloud-based learning tools and collaborative platforms.
• Healthcare transformation: High-speed uploading enhances telemedicine capabilities, streamlining remote diagnosis and monitoring.
• Workforce attraction: Professionals seeking remote or hybrid options find Lima a viable alternative to larger cities.

In this landscape, broadband access is no longer a luxury—it’s infrastructure. And through Brightspeed’s network expansion, Lima is claiming its space in Ohio’s digital future.

Bridging the Digital Divide in Lima, Ohio

Addressing Internet Inequality in Smaller Midwest Cities

In cities like Lima, where nearly 20% of households lacked fixed broadband access as recently as 2021, the digital divide isn't just a talking point—it’s a measurable barrier. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance ranks parts of Allen County, where Lima sits, in the bottom quartile nationally for broadband availability and adoption. Lack of high-speed internet in these areas limits remote education, job opportunities, telemedicine access, and digital literacy.

While large urban centers have seen rapid infrastructure upgrades, many mid-sized and rural communities across the Midwest have been left behind. Lima represents hundreds of communities that remain underserved while the digital economy surges ahead elsewhere.

Brightspeed’s Inclusive Infrastructure Approach

Brightspeed’s fiber network expansion strikes directly at this inequity. By investing in last-mile fiber-to-the-premise technology in Lima, the company is not only building capacity—it’s removing systemic barriers to access. This project goes well beyond mainline connectivity, delivering high-speed broadband directly to homes and small businesses in currently underserved neighborhoods.

Rather than concentrating infrastructure development in already connected districts, Brightspeed is targeting coverage gaps. The goal: to provide symmetrical speeds of up to 1 Gbps in areas where even 25 Mbps had been rare. This radically shifts the possibilities for residents currently living without reliable access.

Redefining Broadband Expansion with Last-Mile Focus

Earlier broadband initiatives often bypassed the last mile—the final stretch of connection from trunk lines to individual properties—due to cost constraints. As a result, fiber infrastructure would run down major roads while nearby homes remained disconnected. Brightspeed rejects that model.

This expansion in Lima differs substantively by committing to last-mile fiber deployment for residential and commercial users alike. Brightspeed’s network design ensures that connectivity doesn’t stop at city limits or bypass low-density areas. Every address within the expansion zone is mapped for direct fiber access. This ensures that the benefit of high-speed internet reaches everyone, not just those in affluent or high-traffic zones.

• Direct-to-home connections: Every qualifying household will receive a dedicated fiber line for consistent speed and reliability.
• Equitable rollout: Underserved areas are prioritized alongside central neighborhoods.
• Long-term infrastructure: The network is engineered for scalability, supporting future upgrades without new construction.

By making inclusive connectivity a foundational principle—and not an afterthought—Brightspeed is closing the digital divide for an entire generation in Lima, Ohio.

Extending Access: Brightspeed’s Support for Rural and Underserved Communities

Expanding Rural Broadband Access, One Mile at a Time

Brightspeed’s fiber network expansion into Lima, Ohio reaches far beyond city limits. By targeting rural and historically underserved communities in Allen County and surrounding areas, the project addresses one of the state's most persistent connectivity gaps. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as of 2023, approximately 19% of Ohioans in rural areas lack access to fixed broadband with minimum download speeds of 25 Mbps. Brightspeed’s new infrastructure deploys symmetric gigabit-capable fiber lines that far exceed this benchmark.

Rather than relying on legacy copper or hybrid infrastructure, the network uses all-fiber cable directly to homes and businesses, ensuring high-speed access independent of population density. This design eliminates the digital isolation that smaller townships often face, especially those spread out over large land areas or located beyond conventional telecom corridors.

Connectivity That Drives Healthcare, Classrooms, and Careers

The introduction of high-capacity fiber infrastructure isn’t a mere technical upgrade — it forms the bedrock for improving digital equity in key public sectors. In healthcare, the ability to support secure, real-time telehealth sessions reduces patient travel times and improves chronic disease management. A study by the National Rural Health Association revealed that rural patients with broadband access were 22% more likely to use telemedicine than those without. Brightspeed’s network makes this possible in regions previously considered unprofitable for service providers.

For educators, fiber enables synchronous virtual classrooms, cloud-based teaching tools, and uninterrupted digital assessments. In the words of Elizabeth Comer, a curriculum director at Lima City Schools, “Reliable broadband opens doors to statewide educational programs and real-time collaboration tools our teachers couldn’t fully utilize before.”

Meanwhile, workforce development agencies gain the bandwidth to facilitate remote training, digital credentialing, and online job placement services. In communities where commuting is limited or large employers are scarce, broadband becomes a critical path to employment.

Voices from the Community: Leaders Welcome the Upgrade

• David Berger, former Mayor of Lima, noted: “Equitable infrastructure is economic infrastructure. Brightspeed’s investment brings long-term impact to neighborhoods that have waited decades for reliable high-speed internet.”
• Angela Riley, Director of the West Central Ohio Development Council, highlighted the business development angle, stating that “Broadband access is non-negotiable for growth. This expansion levels the playing field for our rural entrepreneurs.”
• Tom Heskett, Superintendent of Bath Local Schools, emphasized student experience: “Our students no longer face buffering screens during class. This is transformational to how we teach and how they learn.”

Brightspeed’s network reinforces core services while building a future that includes every zip code, not just those within urban centers. Rural and underserved families in Allen County now gain real options — for care, for classrooms, for careers.

Driving Economic Growth: How Brightspeed’s Fiber Fuels Lima’s Business Future

Attracting Tech-Based Businesses and Startups

Brightspeed’s fiber rollout opens the door for Lima to position itself as a destination for tech-driven enterprises and innovation-led industries. High-speed, low-latency connectivity creates the infrastructure backbone that technology startups and enterprise firms demand. This level of digital capability acts as a magnet for companies in sectors like software development, cloud computing, telemedicine, and data analytics.

In cities that have undergone similar fiber transformations—like Chattanooga, Tennessee, which deployed citywide gigabit service—the results show upward trends in tech firm relocation and startup incubation. According to the Brookings Institution, Chattanooga’s gig-speed network helped the city add over 9,500 jobs and $1.3 billion in economic output over a decade. Lima now enters that same trajectory with Brightspeed’s expansion.

Boosting Local Business Productivity and Expansion

Fiber broadband cuts latency, stabilizes connections, and dramatically increases upload and download speeds. For local businesses—whether law firms, manufacturing facilities, or logistics service providers—these results directly translate into improved workflows, faster transactions, and real-time communication with clients and partners. A report by the Fiber Broadband Association found that fiber internet increases small business productivity by 20% on average.

Moreover, faster and more reliable internet empowers existing businesses to scale. Remote hiring becomes viable. Cloud adoption accelerates. Digital marketing strategies reach farther. Businesses no longer operate at a disadvantage due to connectivity bottlenecks, and that shift reshapes the commercial landscape of downtown Lima and its outskirts.

Infrastructure That Drives Jobs, Entrepreneurship, and Public Services

As fiber infrastructure spreads across Lima, it sets off a chain of economic stimulants. Job creation begins with network construction and continues with the demand for IT professionals, installers, and network technicians. Entrepreneurship grows as fiber enables new service models, from virtual consulting to e-commerce ventures rooted in the region.

Municipal departments also benefit. Real-time data access improves emergency response workflows, utility management, and administrative efficiency. As Lima’s digital framework matures, public-private partnerships around smart infrastructure become feasible, further stimulating service innovation and civic engagement.

• Job Creation: Broadband expansion construction supports hundreds of direct and indirect employment opportunities.
• Business Enablement: Local businesses gain the tools to compete regionally, nationally, and globally.
• Civic Innovation: Fiber enables digital government services, reducing costs and enhancing responsiveness.

What kind of economic transformation do residents envision for Lima with fiber at its core? The foundations are forming now—and they’re built with glass threads under every road and alleyway across the city.

Smart City Readiness: Laying the Groundwork for a Connected Lima

Brightspeed’s fiber expansion isn’t just about faster internet—it's a foundational upgrade that positions Lima for a transformation into a smart city. With fiber infrastructure in place, the city unlocks a new level of connectivity capable of supporting emerging technologies that rely on fast, scalable, and ultra-reliable internet.

Fiber as the Digital Backbone

Fiber-optic networks provide symmetrical speeds and ultra-low latency, critical technical requirements for any smart city initiative. Whether it’s IoT devices or real-time system feedback loops, fiber enables constant, high-bandwidth data flow. This creates a dependable foundation for automated city services, interconnected infrastructure, and real-time decision-making.

Use Cases Already Shaping Urban Centers

• Connected street lighting: With fiber-backed IoT controls, streetlights can adjust brightness based on time of day or foot traffic, cutting energy use and maintenance costs.
• Intelligent traffic systems: Fiber supports high-resolution sensors and real-time data transmission that coordinate traffic signals and reduce congestion.
• Smart utility grids: Water and energy systems gain remote-monitoring capabilities, allowing instant diagnostics and predictive maintenance.
• Emergency response optimization: Fiber enables first responders to stream live video, access location data, and interface with dispatch systems without delay.

Data-Driven Governance at Scale

Municipal operations move faster and respond more precisely when key systems are interconnected. Fiber infrastructure paves the way for real-time sharing of data across departments—traffic, housing, environment, public safety—resulting in AI-assisted planning and service delivery.

Predictive policing algorithms, for example, rely on historical and live data to allocate resources more effectively. Environmental sensors send feedback to public works in real time when conditions change. City dashboards display all this information visually, empowering planners and public servants to act with agility and precision.

Preparing for What Comes Next

As Brightspeed’s fiber reaches more neighborhoods and key infrastructure points in Lima, smart city applications can scale. The city's data architecture becomes not just bigger, but smarter—capable of detecting, learning, and adapting without human intervention.

Where could Lima take this next? Integrate smart parking systems? Build AI-aided public transit scheduling? Enable citizen reporting apps that tap directly into city maintenance workflows?

With fiber already in the ground, the digital terrain of Lima is ready to evolve. The infrastructure won’t hold the city back—it will push it forward.

Fueling Ohio’s Digital Future: Strategic Investments in Fiber Infrastructure

Alignment with State and Federal Broadband Initiatives

Brightspeed’s fiber network expansion into Lima marks one of several strategic deployments in Ohio that align directly with the state’s broader digital transformation framework. Supported by public-private collaboration and guided by objectives of the Ohio Broadband Strategy, this move connects with efforts like BroadbandOhio, the state-led initiative focused on expanding internet access to all 88 counties.

On the federal level, Brightspeed's initiatives reflect goals defined in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocated $65 billion nationally to broadband development through programs such as the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Ohio stands to receive at least $793 million from the BEAD program, part of which actively supports fiber network deployments in unserved and underserved areas.

Grants and Incentives Driving Expansion

• The Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program has committed more than $232 million since 2021 to help ISPs like Brightspeed lay the groundwork for symmetrical gigabit-speed coverage.
• Public-private partnerships have unlocked additional capital, enabling Brightspeed to target high-priority zones with limited historical investment in digital infrastructure.
• Local governments have streamlined permit and pole access policies, accelerating the pace of infrastructure rollout across multiple municipalities.

Enhancing Ohio’s Technology Readiness

Creating widespread availability of fiber-optic networks dramatically shifts Ohio’s standing in technology readiness indices. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce has highlighted broadband as critical to statewide competitiveness, and fiber coverage plays a defining role in metrics such as innovation capacity, workforce resilience, and logistical efficiency.

As Brightspeed extends its high-performance network to cities like Lima, ripple effects stretch far beyond residential internet speeds. Lower-latency infrastructure directly supports precision agriculture in rural counties, factory automation in manufacturing centers, and seamless integration for telehealth delivery in regional hospitals.

Ohio’s digital infrastructure map is evolving. By 2025, with continued investments like Brightspeed’s, fiber availability is projected to grow from covering 35% of households statewide to more than 60%, unlocking economic and social capability at a new scale.

What Local Customers Can Expect From Brightspeed’s Fiber Internet Service

Service Availability Timeline in Lima

Brightspeed’s fiber expansion into Lima, Ohio is scheduled to reach its first round of subscribers by the second half of 2024. Crews have begun laying infrastructure in targeted neighborhoods, prioritizing areas with the most limited bandwidth access. Rollout will continue through phases, with availability expanding zip code by zip code as fiber is installed and tested.

Anticipated Features That Redefine Standards

Lima residents joining the Brightspeed fiber network will access symmetrical internet speeds up to 2 Gbps. These ultra-low latency connections handle multi-device streaming, real-time gaming, video conferencing, and large-scale cloud uploads without buffering or lag. Brightspeed’s fiber plans come with:

• Unlimited data – Stream, download, and work without data caps or throttling.
• No annual contracts – Monthly billing without long-term commitments or cancellation fees.
• Future-ready infrastructure – Direct-to-home fiber ensures scalability as new internet technologies emerge.

Customer Service That Stays Local

Brightspeed is staffing its Lima operations with locally-based technicians and customer support personnel. This means faster response times and installation scheduling without long delays. Support includes:

• On-site installation assistance – Technicians will handle equipment setup and verify network speed at launch.
• Local tech squads – Community-sourced teams provide in-person troubleshooting and service upgrades.
• U.S.-based support centers – Phone and online queries are routed to domestic service agents trained on the regional network.

How to Sign Up or Pre-Register

Lima residents interested in Brightspeed’s fiber service can check availability or sign up for updates by visiting the Brightspeed Fiber Pre-Registration Portal. The system prompts users to enter a home address and returns the expected service timeline for their location. Customers also receive emails detailing construction progress and go-live notifications.

Brightspeed and the Future of Broadband in Ohio

Brightspeed’s fiber network expansion to Lima, Ohio marks a defining moment in the region’s digital future. By extending high-speed broadband infrastructure directly into neighborhoods, main streets, and industrial corridors, Brightspeed lays the groundwork for stronger local economies, higher quality of digital life, and more equitable access to information and opportunity. What once felt out of reach—gig-speed fiber Internet in smaller cities and rural areas—is rapidly becoming reality.

Across Lima and surrounding communities, the impact will extend far beyond faster connection speeds. Households will gain more reliable tools for remote learning and streaming. Small businesses will operate with the same digital efficiency as enterprises in major metros. Healthcare providers, public agencies, and educators will have the bandwidth to deliver services in real time without delay or disruption.

Now that the network is underway, what’s next for you?

• Residents: Check fiber availability at your address with Brightspeed’s official service checker.
• Businesses: Explore commercial packages tailored to meet growing digital demands.
• Community leaders: Attend upcoming info sessions to learn how fiber deployment supports city innovations and inclusion goals.

Lima isn’t just getting faster Internet—it’s entering the next chapter of digital evolution. Brightspeed’s commitment to bridging gaps in broadband access ensures that connectivity reaches classrooms, kitchens, storefronts, and farms alike. Each mile of fiber cable installed brings Ohio closer to a future where access to fast, dependable Internet isn’t a privilege—it’s the standard. What will you build with it?