Achievers & Accolades

Metronet declares Fayetteville, NC Certified Gigabit City Powered by Metronet

By Staff Report, posted 1 year ago
 FCEDC President and CEO Robert Van Geons shakes the hand of Metronet Government Affairs Director Telly Whitfield. Photo provided by: Metronet

Metronet has officially declared the City of Fayetteville a Certified Gigabit City Powered by Metronet after the company’s fiber optic network became accessible to a majority of households and businesses throughout the city. To date, Metronet has installed more than 170 miles of fiber optic internet throughout Fayetteville, bringing future-proof multi-gigabit speeds to residents and businesses through their fully-funded $70 million investment in the community.

“The City of Fayetteville is proud to be recognized as a Certified Gigabit City Powered by Metronet. With Metronet’s investment in our city, residents and businesses have gained widespread access to a reliable internet connection, an imperative need in today’s world,” said Fayetteville City Manager Douglas J. Hewett in a press release. “As Fayetteville continues to focus on our advancement as a connected, forward-thinking city, Metronet’s commitment to our community has helped us make large strides to achieving our goals.”

Metronet began construction in Fayetteville in 2021 and has since grown to become the nation’s largest independently owned, 100 percent fiber optic provider.  

“Fayetteville and Cumberland County are growing. Metronet’s investment in our community is providing our citizens and businesses exponentially expanded access to state-of-the-art fiber optic infrastructure, allowing them access to rapidly evolving opportunities for learning, employment, and enjoyment,” said Robert Van Geons, Fayetteville Economic Development Center President and CEO, in a press release. “Metronet is a trailblazer, and their selection of Fayetteville as their first North Carolina city has positively impacted our economic development efforts and future trajectory. Metronet has been an excellent partner, and we are grateful for their commitment to Fayetteville, Cumberland County, and the surrounding region. We look forward to a bright future full of innovation and collaboration.”

Metronet maintains a storefront located at 399 Westwood Shopping Center, Fayetteville, NC 28314, and currently employs several local associates in departments such as sales, marketing, customer service and field operations. Those interested in joining the Metronet team can visit Metronet.com/careers to search available positions and submit applications.

“Metronet is excited to officially declare Fayetteville a Certified Gigabit City Powered by Metronet as we continue to connect residents and businesses throughout Fayetteville to our multi-gigabit 100% fiber optic internet,” said Telly Whitfield, Metronet Government Affairs Director, in a press release. “We are sincerely grateful for the steadfast support of city leadership as we have moved through our construction efforts to power Fayetteville with Metronet’s 100% fiber optic internet and the future of technology.”

Certification as a Certified Gigabit City Powered by Metronet is earned once a majority of households and business locations have access to Metronet’s symmetrical fiber optic internet speeds of at least 1 Gigabit (1,000 megabits per second). The number of households is based on the total Households (2017-2021) and the number of business locations is based on total All firms (2017) from the U.S. Census Bureau.

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