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Debra Freitas has led LSC amid a wave of expansion, the company said, leading out the build of new metro rings in a variety of metro areas.
Edited by Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
Debra Freitas, CEO and co‑founder of Light Source Communications (LSC), has been named to Inc.’s 2026 Female Founders 500, the publication announced this week.
The list highlights women business leaders across the United States whose “bold ideas, resilience, and execution are shaping the future of their industries,” according to the company’s announcement.
Inc. says the 2026 honorees collectively generated roughly $12.3 billion in 2025 revenue and have raised about $12.2 billion to date.
LSC, which builds and operates underground dark fiber networks for hyperscalers, neoclouds, and enterprises, framed the recognition as validation of the company’s growing role in supporting AI, machine learning, and other high‑performance computing applications.
“A powerful validation”
“This award is a powerful validation not just of our growth, but of the essential role LSC plays in building the networks of tomorrow,” Freitas said in the statement. She added that dark fiber provides “the literal foundation for others to innovate,” and praised her team for technical execution and partnership-building.
The Inc. selection process combines quantitative metrics, revenue growth, funding, sales and audience size, with qualitative factors such as innovation, social impact, and brand momentum. An advisory board of entrepreneurs and executives helped refine the list; members include leaders such as Patty Arvielo, Tiffany Dufu, and Joy Mangano.
Bonny Ghosh, Inc.’s editorial director, praised the cohort for spanning sectors from AI to wellness and nonprofit work, saying they illustrate “what trailblazing female leadership looks like.”
Freitas has led LSC amid a wave of expansion, the company said, building new metro rings in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Tulsa, Kansas City, and Indianapolis, and a long‑haul dark fiber route between Tulsa and St. Louis.
LSC describes itself as a carrier‑neutral, customer‑agnostic provider of underground fiber designed for secure, high‑capacity workloads. The company also highlighted recent hires of industry veterans and regional executives intended to support an “ambitious growth plan.”
Other recent accolades for Freitas and LSC include the TITAN Women in Business Awards in 2025 and Stevie Awards recognizing both Freitas as a top female CEO and LSC as a Company of the Year in the business services category for small firms.
Some AI tools assisted in the crafting of this report.
