Zytel reports 52 miles in ground, says Franklin County fiber ring complete at Hillsford Bridge

Rodney Graham, chief operating officer for Zytel, told the Franklin County Broadband Authority on Jan. 20 that crews have placed 52 miles of fiber so far as part of a roughly 210‑mile award and have completed a 144‑count fiber crossing at Hillsford Bridge that completes a redundant ring into the county. "We have 52 miles of fiber in the ground already of the total of the 210 miles," Graham said, adding that the conduit across the bridge ties the central office planned for Westlake to a node at Boones Mill/Body Camp Elementary and will provide redundant feeds for the county.

Graham said two planned points of presence (POPs) — the Scruggs volunteer fire department POP and the Westlake central office — are nearly complete and a third POP behind the water tank will collocate with Emergency Management Services to support redundant 9‑1‑1 connectivity. He said Zytel currently lists about 650 “passings” (addresses eligible under the VODI grant) and estimates the practical service area includes about 1,200 homes; only 28 subscribers had been activated at the time of his update.

Graham described construction challenges that matter for timing, including rock that requires saw‑blade trenching and weather delays. He warned that substantial snowfall can push work back weeks because plows disrupt easements. On the grant and funding front, Graham said Zytel is a presumptive winner on a large share of BEAD addresses in the region and expects BEAD contracts this spring, saying, “we will get the rest of those 2,200 connected up within 12 months of the signing of the BEAD contract.” He also said BEAD could add roughly 270 miles of middle‑mile fiber in Franklin County and neighboring counties.

Zytel said it will deploy a mix of construction approaches — aerial work in some areas and underground boring in others — depending on permitting and subsurface conditions. For private lanes and isolated neighborhoods, Graham said crews rely on deeded or prescriptive utility easements to proceed without waiting on state road permits, and the company tries to coordinate with homeowners’ associations and provide preconstruction door hangers.

Authority members asked about visible slack loops and hanging tails in neighborhoods; Graham said crews leave service slack so technicians can complete customer connections later and that a quality‑control team responds to public reports. He urged residents to report visible loose cables and said Zytel will dispatch QC crews to secure them. The Authority did not take formal action on the update; members agreed to continue quarterly updates from Zytel and to coordinate further with River Street and other contractors on VODI projects.