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RiverStreet gives Amelia County timeline, funding breakdown for countywide fiber build
Summary
RiverStreet told Amelia County supervisors the countywide fiber build will pass tens of thousands of addresses and is being financed by a mix of company investment, county ARPA funds and state grants.
RiverStreet representatives updated the Amelia County Board of Supervisors on the company’s countywide fiber build during the Board’s April meeting, providing a status report on coverage, funding and next steps.
Rob Taylor of RiverStreet said the project’s initial design will pass roughly 40,490 service locations over about 374 miles of fiber. Project-wide cost is approximately $28.5 million, he said. RiverStreet reported company investment of about $5.1 million and identified the county’s ARPA allocation toward the build at roughly $4.4 million. RiverStreet said it leveraged approximately $18.6 million in state funding, and it also cited Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) support totaling about $351,000 earmarked to the company over a 10-year period.
Taylor said RiverStreet’s purchase and integration of the county’s former TDS telephone assets contributed to the company’s ability to deliver service sooner to some addresses; the company reported moving just under 5,000 locations from acquisition/upgrade work into the project’s passed-count. RiverStreet said customers can check an online build map (myriverstreet.net) to see when a specific address moves from “planned” to “under construction” to “service available.”
Taylor described two main central-office construction sites: one near the courthouse area and a second “Lower Amelia” site in the county’s southeast quadrant. He said construction work to clear the Lower Amelia parcel and install a precast communications building is expected to start soon.
Why it matters
The build promises to expand high-speed broadband availability in Amelia County and is largely financed through a mix of private capital, county ARPA funds and state grants. RiverStreet told the board that state and ARPA funds are disbursed as work milestones are met; some funding deadlines are tied to ARPA timelines and must be spent by 2026.
What’s next
RiverStreet said it will continue phased construction; as segments move to construction the company will update the online map. County staff and RiverStreet also plan follow-up meetings to coordinate permitting and site access for central-office parcels.
Source: RiverStreet presentation, Amelia County Board of Supervisors meeting (April).
