Yavapai supervisors hear progress report on ARPA-funded Sparklight broadband build in Verde Villages

Yavapai County supervisors received a status update Jan. 22 on a high-speed broadband project in the Verde Villages funded in part with American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

County staff said the board approved a contract for the project Dec. 20, 2023. The county reported a total ARPA allocation for broadband projects of about $16.9 million; Sparklight was awarded $5 million and reported contributing roughly $10.7 million of private investment, which the company described as about 66 percent of the project cost. County staff said the build could potentially serve about 4,411 residences and businesses.

Sparklight representatives told the board that groundbreaking occurred Dec. 19, 2024, construction is underway across 11 build areas and the company expects to turn on initial services to new homes in about April 2025, with the overall project targeted for completion by the end of 2025.

Sparklight said the network is an all‑fiber network offering symmetrical speeds (for example, 1 gigabit per second up and down) with retail packages the company expects to offer at 1 Gbps, 500 Mbps and 300 Mbps. Company staff said the buried, underground installation uses hand‑digging in many rear‑easement areas to avoid heavy equipment in backyards. The presenters said the team had held three town halls before breaking ground and that they have received one complaint tied to an easement that was addressed.

Supervisor Nikki Chek, whose district includes much of the Verde Villages, asked about construction methods and impacts; Sparklight representatives said the underground approach and hand excavation are intended to limit surface disturbance. The company said contractors with prior experience have been retained for the work.

The update was informational; the board took no separate vote on the presentation.