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Hanover officials say fiber build is past halfway point; connections lag behind infrastructure
Summary
Hanover County staff told the Board of Supervisors that fiber construction is roughly 51% complete but residents are still waiting for inside connections; county and providers say the BEAD grant could fill remaining gaps and provider selections are expected in September.
Rook Rogers, Hanover County assistant broadband administrator, told the Board of Supervisors the county’s fiber build is moving forward and that providers’ design and installation work is substantial but that customer-facing connections lag the infrastructure progress. "Fiber construction is well underway for both providers," Rogers said, reporting "168 miles installed which is 51% of the project." He also cited a vendor-reported design/permitting completion figure of about 57 percent.
The presentation described monthly updates on a public-facing spreadsheet and a Virginia make-ready/BEAD grant that Rogers said will underwrite burying infrastructure in some areas. "There's no county funding required for the BEAD grant," Rogers said, and staff expects provider awards to be announced in September with deployments afterward.
Supervisor Badeski told the board the contract requires core infrastructure to be complete by December, but he emphasized the separate issue of when residents receive an inside connection. "That clock has not begun yet," Badeski said, referring to a one-year period after notification during which providers agreed not to charge additional fees for running a drop to a house. He urged providers to speed up scheduling and staffing for inside hookup appointments, noting the company had contracted additional subcontractors to assist with connections.
Board members raised neighborhood-level questions about inconsistent block-by-block service. Supervisor Pritchard said residents report partial neighborhood builds — some streets completed while others are not — and encouraged residents to contact county staff or their supervisor for follow-up. Rogers and staff said they are coordinating with providers, tracking resident calls, and maintaining a county dashboard of progress.
The county reiterated that the federal BEAD program will address the remaining unserved areas (described in the presentation as roughly 5% of addresses) but warned that federal awards can shift and that the county is not relying solely on BEAD to reach every household. Staff said they will invite providers back for a public update in August to emphasize improvements in the pace of inside connections.
The board did not take action on the presentation; staff and board members said they will continue oversight and update residents through the county’s broadband webpage and periodic reports.
