Central Access says fiber build will reach most of Chilton County; company gives phased timeline

Chris Montgomery with Central Access presented an updated countywide map and schedule for the company’s fiber build in Chilton County, telling the Chilton County Commission that Central Access will provide service to “about 75% of Chilton County” once its grant-funded work is complete and that, when combined with AT&T, Charter and other providers, “it’ll be about 94% of Chilton County that will have broadband service available.”

Montgomery said the map reflects several funding sources and grant boundaries, including areas removed from Central Access’s ADECA award because another provider was already listed for them. He walked commissioners through color-coded areas on the map and gave target service windows: parts of the Highway 31 corridor were described as coming online in Q1 2025, Maplesville-to-Plantersville in Q2 2025, portions of Clanton in Q4 2025, a Verbena-area tranche in Q1 2026, and other RDOF- and FCC-awarded zones on a separate schedule.

Why it matters: the presentation details when residents in rural parts of the county can expect last-mile fiber availability and clarifies where federal and state grant rules limit immediate expansion. Montgomery repeatedly framed the timeline in grant terms and identified ADECA and the FCC as the agencies that govern award timing and eligible areas.

Key details from the presentation:

- Existing service: the darkest green on Central Access’s map is already active, Montgomery said; the company said crews have been splicing and connecting homes in new green-with-pink-outline pockets that were recently turned on.

- Near-term rollout: the yellow corridor along Highway 31 is being spliced and targeted for Q1 2025 activation; a light-blue area covering Maplesville to Plantersville was targeted for Q2 2025.

- Later tranches: Montgomery listed Q4 2025 for much of Clanton and nearby eastern areas, and Q1 2026 for the Verbena area.

- Grant boundaries and other providers: a hashed light-gray area on the map, Montgomery said, was removed from Central Access’s ADECA award because another provider was listed there; the northwest corner of the county is shown on federal maps as served by AT&T and Charter, while the northeast shows service by CenturyTel/Brightspeed. Montgomery said ADECA told Central Access it must allow award timelines to run their course before other providers can be substituted in awarded zones.

- Coverage and speed baseline: Montgomery cited the FCC’s current mapping baseline (described in the presentation as “100 down to 20 up” speeds) when summarizing the county’s expected coverage once Central Access and other providers complete their builds.

Commissioner questions and follow-up requests

Commissioners asked for clarifications about black-dotted address points that federal maps still show as unserved inside otherwise served zones; Montgomery said the black dots represent FCC address points that data flags as lacking service even when surrounding areas are mapped as covered. Commissioners also asked whether Central Access could take over areas where a prior grantee (identified in the discussion as the entity now operating as Brightspeed) has not met build requirements; Montgomery said ADECA — not the company — controls the replacement or reassignment process for ADECA-awarded zones and that Central Access’s immediate obligation is to finish its current grant areas before pursuing other opportunities.

Montgomery confirmed Central Access’s public map is available at centralaxis.com and told commissioners he would email the commission office a PDF of the updated map and legend so the colors and schedule are clear on the county website.

Limitations and dependencies

Montgomery said several timelines depend on third parties: federal grant processes (ADECA and FCC mapping), the completion of RDOF or FCC-funded work, and coordination with utilities for aerial vs. buried construction. He also noted some areas will be built aerially and others with buried conduit, which can affect schedule.

What the commission recorded

The presentation drew questions from commissioners and requests for a PDF map for the county website; no formal vote or new county obligation was recorded in the transcript for the Central Access presentation.

Ending

Montgomery closed by saying Central Access is “looking forward to the opportunity” to connect more Chilton County addresses and agreed to provide a PDF map for staff to post online.