More broadband internet officially is coming to Appomattox County after the board of supervisors approved Central Virginia Electric Cooperative’s proposal for a 450-mile fiber optic network in parts of the county during a Monday night meeting.
CVEC received just less than $1 million in grant funding from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission last week to assist with the project. Total costs to construct the Appomattox portion of the project are estimated at $10 million.
“We are ready to get moving on that with one other provision that we’d like the county to look at for an economic development incentive,” CVEC President and CEO Gary Wood told board members Monday night.
The cooperative requested tax rebate incentives from the county as part of its funding initiatives. If the board approves the request, the Appomattox County Economic Development Authority would provide the equivalent of annual tax revenue from new plant investment for the first five years after each area substation is completed, according to a request for support from CVEC.
The project will provide high-speed internet access to about 3,400 CVEC customers in Appomattox County.
Wood said construction will begin by the end of September along Oakville and Old Courthouse roads. The company chose this location as the site of its first broadband expansion in the entire project because it is the lowest cost to serve with the grant funding. This first phase of construction will service about 1,650 customers, Wood said.
CVEC eventually hopes to install more than 4,500 miles of fiber optic cable in Appomattox County and 13 surrounding counties at a cost of $110 million during the next five years. Once service to their area is complete, cooperative members will be able to purchase high-speed internet at a cost of $49.99 per month for 100 megabits per second or $79.99 per month for 1 gigabit per second from a subsidiary of the cooperative.
The cooperative plans to use existing service poles and right-of-way to construct the fiber optic network and will construct underground where there are existing lines. Service will be provided through a box next to customers’ current meter bases, Wood explained.
CVEC also services the Appomattox Center for Business and Commerce and Appomattox Court House National Historic Park, and Wood said the cooperative is in talks with the National Park Service to provide fiber service next year.
Board members emphasized the significance of helping locals connect with the “information superhighway,” as more than 50 percent of Appomattox County residents currently are underserved for internet access, according to County Administrator Susan Adams.
“I think the most important thing about it is the education avenue that it’s going to provide our county residents, our county schoolchildren, the opportunity to access the internet,” board chairman Sam Carter said.
Other board members agreed and said they are excited about the potential for growth in the county.
“I believe it enhances our economic development opportunities to attract businesses and also attract businesses who might not have that capability now or are underserved by the capabilities they have, and hopefully that could help us create more employment and create more business expansion in the county,” Falling River District Chairman Chad Millner said.
The board voted in favor of the proposal 4-0, with supervisor Bryan Moody absent.
Supervisors will discuss CVEC’s request for economic development incentives at its April 16 meeting.
