River Street Networks says power hookups delay broadband turn‑up; 571 locations under construction
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Summary
River Street Networks reported progress on Brunswick County's publicly supported broadband build but said lack of permanent power at a Freeman remote and a needed crossing of U.S. 58 by a third‑party contractor are delaying customer service activation for some areas.
River Street Networks provided a construction update to the Brunswick County Board of Supervisors, reporting that hundreds of locations are in active construction and that the project remains on track to expand broadband but is temporarily constrained by power and permitting steps.
Company representative Robert Taylor said the build has 571 locations under construction and that 55 addresses could be turned up immediately once permanent power is energized at the Freeman remote central office. Taylor told the board the Warfield remote building has been delivered but remains offline because Mecklenburg Electric must complete a crossing of U.S. 58 to provide permanent power. "Once they get that done, then hopefully, they'll be giving us a firmer timeline," Taylor said.
Taylor walked board members through the County map on myriverstreet.net and described how residents can check status and register interest by address. He also explained construction stages on visible corridors: orange conduit is conduit installation (not fiber), black conduit contains fiber, and green pedestals are field cabinets. He described subsequent steps — splicing, testing, lighting and final verification — that must occur after conduit is installed before service can be activated.
Taylor provided more detail about the Freeman area: the Freeman remote central office was reported as roughly 98% spliced; certain cabinets were partially completed (percentages reported by Taylor). He said Mid Atlantic Broadband, the upstream provider, is prepared to place equipment in the building but prefers to wait for reliable permanent AC power because equipment requires climate control and stable power for long‑term operation.
The board and staff asked for clarifications about site‑prep timing for the Daniel Town remote and about when specific cabinet permits will translate into visible construction. Taylor said he would follow up with specific start dates for the Daniel Town work and noted that the build map will turn yellow dots to green as locations become serviceable.
Why it matters: the broadband project is intended to extend high‑speed Internet to unserved and underserved parts of the county. Residents who see conduit or pedestals often call asking when service will be live; Taylor emphasized that visible work is an early step and not an immediate indicator that service is already active.