Brightspeed says pole-owner make‑ready work slowed grant rollout; 700 grant locations live in Johnston County
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Summary
Brightspeed updated commissioners on the county broadband rollout, saying approximately 700 GREAT‑grant locations are live, nearly 1,500 CAB2 frames are scheduled for delivery this year, and pole-owner make‑ready work — not provider construction — is the principal cause of delays; county staff reminded the board of a $500,000 ARPA commitment tied to the project.
Brightspeed representative Steve Brewer told the Johnston County Board of Commissioners on March 2 that deployment across the county is progressing but remains behind the original schedule because of delays with pole owners' make‑ready work. "It's largely related to make‑ready work associated with the poles," Brewer said, explaining that many pole owners must inspect spans, approve attachments and sometimes shift existing facilities before a new fiber attachment can be made.
Brewer said about 700 of the original GREAT‑grant locations in Johnston County are live and available for subscribers, roughly 1,500 CAB2 frames are scheduled for delivery by the end of the year, and more than 20,000 privately funded fiber passings are already in place. "With the original schedule, the GREAT grant program should have been delivered to you now," he said, estimating about 20% of the original GREAT projects are up and running and that final construction moves quickly once pole‑attachment authority is secured.
Commissioners asked whether pole owners include electric utilities and EMCs; Brewer replied that the category includes investor‑owned utilities, EMCs and other pole owners and confirmed Brightspeed occupies the lowest space on many poles. He said the governor's office and NCDIT are meeting with stakeholders to accelerate work and that NCDIT has extended grant deadlines to year‑end 2026. "We're about, just shy of 700 of the original GREAT grants where consumers can subscribe to the service today," he said.
Board members raised concerns about low‑hanging cables and local customer experiences after installations. One commissioner described a neighborhood installation that routed equipment at the home's ground‑level and said it affected interior placement; Brewer offered to investigate and said extender and mesh options exist to improve coverage inside homes.
County Manager Hester reminded the board that the county had committed $500,000 in ARPA funds for the project to be paid at project completion and cautioned that if the project is not completed within ARPA eligibility the funds may need to be moved to the general fund. Commissioners requested a follow‑up update in June and were told Brightspeed and NCDIT will provide quarterly reports.
The update did not include a formal vote. Commissioners who spoke thanked Brewer for the presentation and said they will monitor subscription rates and pole‑attachment progress.