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Board agrees unanimously to place broadband providers’ BEAD support letters on consent agenda
Summary
Representatives from three internet providers presented BEAD grant plans; the board voted 7–0 to place letters of support for Zytel, Brightspeed and Verizon on the consent agenda at the upcoming business meeting.
Representatives from three internet providers — Rodney Gray of Zytel, McKinley Perkinson of Brightspeed and Matt Ogburn of Verizon — presented company overviews and proposed BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment) grant applications to the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors during a Feb. 18 work session.
Each presenter described planned fiber buildouts and asked the board for a letter of support to accompany BEAD grant applications. Zytel described its regional, rural‑focused business model, recent work in Bedford County and an approach that uses in‑house crews for much of the construction; the presenter cited roughly $12 million in private investment in Bedford County and large planned route mileage there. Brightspeed said it plans to enable 2,888 BEAD‑eligible addresses in the county (with 2,289 additional pull‑through addresses the company would fund itself) and emphasized fiber‑to‑the‑home technology with two‑gigabit symmetric service upgradable to 10 Gbps. Verizon said it would apply for two ZCTAs north of Danville and estimated total project costs of $8.5 million to $11 million with a subsidy request in the $2.7M–$4M range for the two ZCTAs; Verizon also noted pull‑through buildouts to addresses passed during construction.
The board heard questions about local presence, underground vs. aerial construction, pricing, and how providers will target BEAD‑eligible ZIP codes. Counsel and staff advised that the board would need formal resolutions or letters for the business meeting. Supervisor Ingram moved to place approval of the letters of support on the consent agenda; Supervisor Dalton seconded. The board voted 7–0 in favor.
The record shows the board agreed the consent‑agenda placement covers the three presentations heard that evening; staff said draft letters of support are already prepared for the business meeting’s consent agenda.
