River Street reports build progress in Pittsylvania County as BEAD map awards some locations to SpaceX

Rob Taylor, a River Street representative, told the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 18 that the company’s Fiber‑to‑the‑Home deployment in the county has expanded from 7,288 locations passed to 10,155 and that installed customers rose from 1,183 to 2,354. “As of last Friday, we had 2,354 customers installed,” Taylor said, adding that 262 orders were in process for a total of 2,616 orders and installations, “which puts us at about a 25% take ratio of all locations passed.”

Taylor described current field work priorities as scheduling railroad crossing crews, completing cabinets in the Braswell area and retesting fibers where installations failed. He said River Street has held roughly 15 local sign‑up events this year and runs door‑to‑door outreach in areas where fiber is available.

Taylor also reviewed federal BEAD funding maps and how they affected the county. He said the state’s BEAD awards left most County locations assigned to River Street but that certain high‑cost, isolated locations were awarded to SpaceX’s low‑Earth‑orbit service. “If our bid was higher than a certain amount… it ended up going to SpaceX,” Taylor said, adding that situations such as river crossings or railroad crossings can make serving one or two homes costly.

Board members asked about customer service and timetable. Taylor said residents can use a toll‑free number or online enrollment, and that in‑person events help avoid service‑center backlogs during large sign‑up periods. On timing, Taylor said River Street is “tracking to get everything completed by the middle of next year” for the current build, but that BEAD‑funded segments will depend on the state contract schedule and could extend construction timing once BEAD awards are executed.

The presentation did not include a board action at the meeting; the board thanked River Street for the update and did not ask for a vote.