Montgomery County hears broadband build update as partners pledge $33 million investment

GigaBeam and Appalachian Power told the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 23 that a multi‑partner broadband build is progressing and remains on an accelerated schedule despite permitting and splicing delays.

In an update to the board, Eric Workman of GigaBeam and Amanda Cox of Appalachian Power described a build split into optical line terminal (OLT) areas. Cox said APCo — serving as the middle‑mile provider — ‘‘expects to invest around $33,000,000 in this county alone in this project.’’ The presenters said GigaBeam has placed roughly 110 miles of fiber and that several OLTs are already serviceable.

The board was told the project is operating as two overlapping county builds and uses a utility‑leased dark fiber model that reduces typical make‑ready costs for last‑mile providers. GigaBeam described OLTs 3 through 10 (Shawsville, Elliston) as the immediate focus and said those areas are scheduled to be lit and serviceable before the end of 2024 because of an earlier grant deadline. The companies said their internal goal is to have the majority of fiber placed and ready for splicing by spring 2025 so splicing and testing can proceed without creating repeated customer outages.

Officials warned that railroad crossings and third‑party permit backlogs are constraining splicing schedules. Presenters said railroad flagger availability and a large backlog in crossing applications have required premium, out‑of‑area crews for some work. They also described the technical constraint that entire OLT areas often must be ready before service can be turned up to avoid multiple outages during splicing.

Board members pressed presenters for more granular, road‑level information about which neighborhoods are in each OLT area and whether areas with poor copper or cell coverage could be prioritized for safety reasons. GigaBeam and APCo said the network must be built in linked segments and offered to provide the board a planned order of builds and road associations so supervisors and staff can explain schedules to residents.

Presenters described customer install options: typical aerial installs are handled by the provider and may be offered free for early sign‑ups, while underground installs vary in complexity and sometimes require property‑owner work or additional construction. The companies encouraged residents to sign up when they see outreach materials and said staff continue door‑to‑door and event outreach.

Next steps: the providers will continue construction and permitting work, APCo and GigaBeam will supply the county with more detailed timing/road‑level mapping, and county staff said they will provide ongoing updates (county staff already circulates quarterly progress reports by email).