Hanover updates broadband rollout as providers near construction milestones; private-road easements slow final installs

Deputy County Administrator Todd Kilduff said Hanover's broadband project is making measurable progress but faces a bottleneck in private-road easement collection and a pending federal funding decision. "We have about 285 miles installed," Kilduff told the Board during a quarterly update, noting the county has shifted from quarterly to monthly public updates as construction accelerates.

Kilduff said the county's two principal providers are working under separate funding tracks: Brightspeed is building under RDOF-funded areas while All Points Broadband is executing the VADI-funded segment. A third funding source—referred to in the update as the BEAD/NTIA tranche—remains under federal review; county staff said they expected the 90-day NTIA window to conclude soon but could not confirm approval.

All Points Broadband's Tom Innes reported key construction and market numbers. "We have 286 miles of our fiber done," he said, adding seven active cabinets and 453 active subscribers in Hanover. Innes described the remaining work as largely private-road installations that require notarized easements: "We expect about 4 to 6 weeks on the easement collection process and about 2 weeks on the construction process," he said, explaining the company's plan to hire a dedicated easement representative and an in-field notary to speed sign-ups.

Kilduff and Innes emphasized the difference between "passings" (homes passed by fiber) and "connections" (homes that have activated service). Under the All Points contract there are 6,198 total passings; county staff estimated a roughly 30% take rate to date, translating to roughly 1,859 potential connections if that rate holds. All Points reported 419 home connections in the latest month, up about 158 from the previous month.

Brightspeed's regional manager, Chris Dillon, said his company's expedited RDOF addresses were complete and that the operator had privately funded additional "pull-through" addresses. "We're at 98% complete on the whole project and 81% of the addresses are available for service," Dillon told the Board. He also discussed the transition away from copper-based service and said Brightspeed has hired additional technicians to address repair backlog.

Board members pressed providers on customer-service and equity issues. Supervisor Stirmen said constituents in Beaver Dam had experienced poor repair service and raised an FCC complaint; he asked for clearer communications about timelines and expectations. Dillon acknowledged the complaint and said Brightspeed had instituted a "get well" plan, added two techs in the region, and retained contractors to accelerate fiber drops.

County staff urged residents to consult the project webpage and contact the broadband team with specific easement or mailer issues. Kilduff said the county is prioritizing households that signed up earliest and will continue to work with All Points and Brightspeed to ensure sign-ups made in spring are prioritized for installation. The county also noted that the BEAD decision would expand coverage to about 3,500 additional passings and add roughly $26 million in project scope if approved.

The Board did not take formal action during the update but directed staff to keep residents informed, assist with easement collection where feasible, and report back as BEAD/NTIA determinations arrive.