Spectrum says county broadband build about 75% complete; 5,100 homes targeted

Spectrum representative Ben Eusales told the Madison County Fiscal Court on Sept. 23 that the company’s countywide broadband build is roughly three-quarters complete and that crews have activated service to 1,574 homes so far.

The update, delivered during the court’s regular meeting at the Madison County Courthouse annex, said the countywide effort is composed of three phases: a federal Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) build that the presenter described as “almost entirely completed,” a state grant-funded build (referred to in discussion as the state Better Internet project), and a county partnership phase aimed at filling remaining service gaps. “This project overall is about 75% of the way done,” Eusales said.

Why it matters: The project aims to bring symmetrical gigabit service — and in some places 2 gigabit service — to rural addresses and to reduce digital inequities countywide. Eusales said the three-phase approach targets homes rather than simply running fiber down main roads, and that approach is intended to deliver a usable service directly to properties.

Key facts from the presentation: - Spectrum is working across three coordinated builds (RDOF, the state grant program, and a county-funded fill-in phase). - The company expects to attach to nearly 11,000 utility poles countywide and reported more than 8,000 pole attachments approved to date. - Across all phases, Spectrum is targeting service availability for just over 5,100 homes in Madison County; 1,574 of those homes are already activated. - Eusales said about 30% of the target homes in the county are currently activated; he described an expected multi-month ramp as more permits are approved.

On permitting and pole work: Eusales described pole permitting and pole-owner engineering as the central bottleneck. He said Spectrum packages engineering plans and pays pole owners (utilities such as KU, Bluegrass Energy and Clark Energy) for necessary work; the pole owners then schedule replacements or relocations and provide permit approvals back to Spectrum. “We are trying to attach to almost 11,000 poles across the county. And we have approved more than 8,000 of them,” Eusales said.

On customer take rates: When asked how many activated addresses are eligible but have not yet subscribed, Eusales said take rates typically reach roughly 40% in the first months after activation and rise over time, “within the first couple years to get up to 60% or so. Sometimes 70%.” He added that the company will not be contractually guaranteed any minimum customer signups: “We could build this entire thing and get 0% customers, and we'd still be building it.”

On homeowner notification: Eusales described a multi-pronged outreach approach: construction signs (“Spectrum is coming” / “Spectrum is here”), mailers or door hangers, and targeted door-to-door crews in low‑take areas. He offered to provide the court with lists of addresses in newly activated sections so county officials could share them with constituents.

Implementation status and timeline: Eusales said most permits for the state grant build are approved and that the company is actively building in those areas. He said pole-owner approvals across the state have been accelerated this year and that pole-owner partners have been asked to have permits cleared by November to support a broader state timeline. He told the court he felt Madison County is “a little bit further ahead of the game than a lot of other counties.”

What the court asked: Magistrates and the judge pressed on outreach, on how remote (setback) properties are served, and on underground routing where transmission poles or rocky ground make pole attachments difficult. Eusales said the project is designed to reach the home — not only the road — and that drops to driveways will be installed so homes can be connected when customers subscribe.

Next steps: Spectrum said it will continue monthly coordination meetings with the county and pole owners, will provide activation address lists on request, and anticipates permitting and construction activity to produce additional activations in the coming months.

Speakers quoted or paraphrased in this article are drawn from the meeting transcript.