Lancaster County hears update on APB rollout, preliminary BEAD awards for roughly 680 homes

Lancaster County Broadband Authority members heard an update Aug. 14 from All Points Broadband that signups are open for eligible homes across the county and that preliminary Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) awards list All Points Broadband as the provisional awardee for most of the county’s BEAD allotment.

Tom Ennis of All Points Broadband told the authority that “locations that are eligible and where we have capacity, we are signing folks up,” and that the company has begun taking orders for addresses outside the original scope of the grant where capacity exists. Ennis said the Beatty project and the RDOF project are complete and that another marketing push to additional locations is planned for September.

The update matters to residents still lacking service because, Ennis said, some homes that were built after the VADI/VADi mapping process or that were omitted from mapping remain unlisted on federal and state databases and therefore have not been reached by providers. Ennis urged residents to use APB’s website (apbfiber.com) or the company’s phone line to submit addresses, and he explained the procedure to challenge a designation on the National Broadband Map: "you can submit a ... challenge through the web portal and potentially be eligible for funding in the future." That national map is updated continuously and is used by providers and grant administrators.

Authority members discussed several practical details Ennis provided. He said an 888 number and apbfiber.com are the fastest ways to initiate signup and that the company’s standard installation charge for non-VADI work is $99, with the caveat that very long driveway runs beyond a 1,000-foot drop may incur additional charges. Ennis said APB offers an affordable plan at 50 megabits for $59.99 per month, a 100-megabit tier at $89, and that gigabit pricing was not stated clearly on the record.

The meeting also covered the preliminary BEAD award numbers Ennis reported from the state: APB roughly 680 homes passed in Lancaster County, Breezeline 2 homes, and a listing for Amazon/Amazon-affiliated deployment of about 10 homes. Ennis cautioned those are preliminary and require NTIA approval: "It’s provisional. It needs to be approved by NTIA," he said. County officials asked for a map that distinguishes areas already served from areas that will open later; Ennis agreed to provide polygons showing which addresses are currently serviceable and which are expected to open after the September window.

Members raised several cases of neighbors who appear served while adjacent addresses are not on mapping databases; the group recommended residents check nearby addresses on the Virginia Connect/VA Connection map and the FCC National Broadband Map and, if necessary, submit the individual challenge themselves (the web portal requires the resident’s certification). District 1 Supervisor Craig Giese volunteered to supply specific addresses of constituents who reported missing service so the company could verify them.

On administrative business, the authority accepted the minutes from the previous meeting by voice vote and later adjourned. Members noted a financial statement had not been received for the month; Kevin (staff) said the statement was not delivered in time. Authority members reported that an antenna solution previously paid by the broadband authority is now covered by emergency services as of July 1, and that older, decommissioned radio equipment had been disposed of.

The authority said it will circulate the APB/BEAD maps and requested follow-up on specific addresses raised during the meeting. Ennis said that if customers encounter website or customer-service problems when attempting to sign up, they should email him (through Keith Kidd or directly) so he can investigate.

Ending: Authority members scheduled follow-up outreach and agreed Keith Kidd would present the update to the Board of Supervisors at the Aug. 28 meeting. No ordinance, funding appropriation or binding policy was adopted at the session; the items reported were updates and procedural directions to staff and the APB representative.