GeoLinks wins $235M federal broadband contract
GeoLinks, an internet service provider based in Camarillo, has won a bid worth $234.9 million from the federal government to bring high-speed broadband to underserved homes and businesses.
According to a statement released Dec. 7 by GeoLinks, the contract comes from the Federal Communication Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which is spending up to $20.4 billion over the next 10 years to bring gigabit-speed internet access to rural areas.
“We founded GeoLinks on the principle of digital equity,” GeoLinks CEO Skyler Ditchfield said in the statement. “This funding from the FCC will allow us to build significant infrastructure to bring needed connectivity to rural homes and businesses. We believe the internet is the great equalizer and these buildouts will be particularly meaningful in bridging the digital divide.”
GeoLinks been growing in 2020, acquiring network assets and spectrum licenses from TPx Communications in Los Angeles in October while also securing a private equity investment in the same month to continue expansion.
The network assets and spectrum licenses it gained from TPx allowed GeoLinks to expand its network footprint into Northern California and the Las Vegas area, GeoLinks said.
GeoLinks is one of the fastest growing companies in the region in its sector, with revenue that has more than doubled over the past three years. In 2020, the company hopes to finish with around $27 million in revenue, up from $12 million in 2017.
