Albany-based FirstLight, a provider of fiber-optic data, Internet, data center, cloud, and voice services to enterprise and carrier customers throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, recently completed its purchase of the Keystone Initiative for Network Based Education and Research (KINBER).
The purchase includes KINBER’s 1,800-mile fiber network in Pennsylvania and related customer contracts.
KINBER is Pennsylvania’s statewide research, education, and community network. It is a nonprofit membership organization. It will continue in its mission to position Pennsylvania to be a leader in broadband and broadband technology, invest in underserved and unserved communities, and provide research and education access.
“KINBER is excited to have successfully concluded this transaction and complete the latest chapter in our organization’s history,” KINBER CEO Nathan Flood said. “Going forward, KINBER remains committed to providing research and education access to all community anchor institutions in the commonwealth. And we are focused on having a positive impact in the communities we serve and the people who live there through the advancement of technology, innovation, and collaboration.”
Over the past 12 months, FirstLight has added a dedicated Pennsylvania sales team along with approximately 1,000 miles of new fiber to its network. This includes construction in Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Scranton, Reading, and Wilkes-Barre.