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Point Broadband update: permit lapse, wildlife damage and 60% of Wythe passings complete, company says
Summary
Point Broadband told Wythe County supervisors it missed a railroad crossing permit in 2023–24 but is working with engineering and expects permit progress; the company reported 11,370 homes passed (about 60%) with roughly 5,400 remaining and said it will seek a Mount Rogers project extension.
Point Broadband operations staff updated the Wythe County Board of Supervisors on March 25 about construction progress, damage repairs and permitting issues as the company works to complete a federally funded broadband rollout across the county.
Randy Ham of Point Broadband introduced operations manager Mike Thibodeaux and acknowledged an internal permit lapse for a railroad crossing the company had planned to build; Ham said the railroad crossing permit application for Kent Lane (application number cited in the record as 1328198) was placed into initial review on March 10 and is now listed as “being worked.” Ham apologized for the missed permit and said that, while the permit process fell through the cracks in late 2023–24, construction on both sides of the crossing is complete and Point Broadband expects a permit decision within the typical review window.
Ham said the company has completed construction that brings Wythe County to about 11,370 homes passed and that remaining home passings are roughly 5,400 — “60% there,” he summarized. He described repeated wildlife (rodent) damage to cabinets in several areas and said Point Broadband has added redundant backbone routing and other protections to reduce future outages. Ham also noted the fiber network suffered storm damage from Hurricane Helene and winter weather, which slowed progress; the company has begun remobilizing crews in the Fort Chiswell/Max Meadows corridor and intends to proceed eastward.
Supervisors asked for more concrete start dates for eastern-county work. Ham and Thibodeaux said some permitting and grant-administration tasks are handled by Mount Rogers Planning District Commission and that Point Broadband expects to pursue a term extension for the project; the timeline cited in the record remains subject to permitting. Resident Jack Phillips addressed the board during citizens’ time earlier in the meeting, saying he had seen little progress on high‑bandwidth rollout in the Max Meadows area and asking the county to press for a clearer schedule. Ham said Point Broadband will provide updates to county staff so supervisors can share dates with residents.
No formal county action was taken; supervisors urged Point Broadband and Mount Rogers Planning District Commission to provide more precise timing to county staff and affected residents.
