Portsmouth authority outlines local and regional fiber plan, seeks federal BEAD and digital-equity funding

The Portsmouth Broadband Authority heard an update on the city’s local and regional fiber networks and on state and federal grant opportunities that could fund last‑mile connections and digital‑equity programs.

"My name is Cliff Hayes. I am the chief information officer in the city," Hayes told authority members as he described the city’s “local ring,” the regional connection ring and how the networks support public safety, schools and economic development. He said Portsmouth’s local ring contains about 55 miles of fiber and that the city has built 144‑strand cabling to support future expansion.

The update placed the local ring in the context of a larger Regional Connection Ring (RCR) that consultants and partners designed starting in 2017. "We were instrumental in designing the regional connectivity ring," consultant Jeff Bicou said, describing the RCR as a middle‑mile backbone that connects multiple localities and links to subsea cables off Virginia Beach.

Why it matters: city officials say the combination of a municipal middle‑mile network, private ISPs building last‑mile connections and federal/state grants can lower recurring telecom costs for anchor institutions, increase available speeds, and enable new services such as telehealth, remote education and real‑time storm‑management sensors used in evacuation planning.

City staff presented example cost comparisons for a subset of community anchor institutions: using current commercial services for 56 sites at about $1,000 per month per site would cost roughly $6.7 million over 10 years, Hayes said. If those same sites gain city fiber and redundancy, staff projected roughly $2.1 million over 10 years in the example shown. Hayes said the figures were illustrative; actual project phasing, engineering and per‑site costs will determine final savings.

Funding and grants: staff described federal and state grant programs available to cover last‑mile deployment and digital‑equity work. Hayes referenced the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program and Virginia’s Digital Equity efforts administered through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). He said Virginia received roughly $1.48 billion from BEAD and that the city has applied for BEAD‑related last‑mile support; 75 locations in Portsmouth were identified as unserved in the BEAD process and eligible for assistance.

Hayes explained how BEAD‑funded last‑mile awards are given to Internet service providers (ISPs). He said Cox, Verizon and GTS requested letters of partnership from the city and therefore receive application preference points. The city is coordinating with ISPs and noted that some providers are pursuing buildout independently of BEAD funds.

Leasing capacity and revenue: Hayes told members the city has excess conduit capacity and spare fiber strands available to lease. He said the Southside regional organization paid Portsmouth $1.3 million in kind to use conduit across a bridge route, and the city council has set strand lease rates at $450 per strand per linear mile (or $900 per linear mile for bridge crossings) to market excess capacity.

Timeline and planning: staff said three city sites already use city fiber (police administration at 306 High Street, the 311 building/EOC and the 700 Port Center) and that the authority plans to connect about 10 additional facilities by year end. The city expects to finalize a detailed implementation plan—what staff called a "plan for the plan"—at the next authority meeting and a full phased buildout schedule by March of next year. Consultant Bicou said engineering, surveying and cost analysis require additional time and that a more detailed plan should be ready by the end of the calendar year.

Digital‑equity programming: Hayes said the city received funding to develop a digital opportunity plan under the federal Digital Equity and related state programs. That plan will detail outreach, training and device‑access programs; staff will coordinate distribution and marketing with Public Communications and Economic Development, including civic leagues and community partners.

Questions from members focused on timing, per‑site costs and how BEAD awards to ISPs would affect availability and competition. Staff emphasized the city is not waiting on the full regional ring to activate local connections; the authority is lighting up sites where engineering and funding permit. Hayes said ISPs awarded BEAD funds will build to the ZIP codes or buildings assigned by the state process and that residents will have multiple provider options in many locations because several ISPs are investing in Portsmouth.

Next steps: staff will return with a schedule for the implementation plan, detailed per‑site cost estimates for the first connected facilities and a marketing approach for strand leasing and community outreach.