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Caroline County: West broadband build complete; East build advancing despite rail and pole work
Summary
County IT director David Sadler updated residents that the Caroline West Verizon project finished ahead of schedule and the Caroline East Breezeline build is progressing, with 89.95 miles constructed and limited delays tied to CSX crossings and pole attachments.
Caroline County officials reported progress Thursday on two countywide broadband buildouts: the Verizon-led Caroline West project is finished and the Breezeline-led Caroline East project is under construction with some crossings and pole attachments still being resolved.
David Sadler, Caroline County director of information technology and project manager for the VADI 2023 projects, told residents that the Caroline West build — serving addresses west of U.S. Route 95 — completed ahead of schedule and met project standards. "This project met all milestones and timelines and completed ahead of schedule," Sadler said, and he added that the first address was activated in June 2024 and that full availability for sale occurred in February 2025.
The update matters because the builds aim to deliver fiber broadband to thousands of county addresses that previously lacked service. Sadler said 815 locations were served by the Caroline West project and that the network installed about 62 miles of fiber and more than 350 Verizon Fios service installs had been completed through March. He provided a customer contact: verizon.com/fios or 1-888-548-5833.
On the Caroline East project, led by Breezeline, Sadler said design work is complete for the entire project and construction has accelerated. He reported 89.95 miles of fiber constructed so far, up from 53 miles the prior month, out of a total of about 439 miles planned. The county has completed 107 of 3,910 addresses in that build to date; Sadler said the address count has been static but is expected to rise as construction miles continue to increase.
Sadler also described two potential delay points the county notified DHCB about in January: CSX railroad crossings and pole attachment work involving Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and Dominion poles. He said three of four required CSX under-crossings are complete and one remains in progress. "At this time, no extension of this project is necessary," Sadler said, but he added county staff continue to monitor make-ready pole work and the final railroad crossing closely.
During the update Sadler cited national survey numbers from 500 new internet customers, saying the respondents reported benefits such as home security (83%), staying in contact with friends and family (94%), saving money (77%), and earning income or finding jobs (73%). He listed common uses including telemedicine, online schooling and job searches.
Residents with questions were directed to the county broadband inquiry form on the Caroline County website; submissions go directly to Sadler. The next county broadband update was scheduled for Monday, June 16 at 7 p.m., and Sadler said the updates are streamed live on YouTube.
No motions or formal board actions were reported during the update; Sadler delivered the report and did not request or record votes or directives during this briefing.
