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PRTC outlines USDA-backed plan to bring fiber to most of Lee County
Summary
Ron Murray of PRTC told the fiscal court the company is building roughly 203 miles of fiber under a USDA RUS Reconnect 4 award to reach an estimated 94% of Lee County homes and businesses, with phase 1 aimed for completion around Memorial Day and wider buildout into 2027.
Ron Murray, public relations manager for PRTC, told the Lee County Fiscal Court that the cooperative is moving forward on a USDA Rural Utility Service Reconnect 4 project to expand fiber broadband across the county.
"It's an $18,800,000 partial loan, partial grant called Reconnect 4," Murray said, describing a planned build of roughly 203 miles of fiber that PRTC expects will make high-speed service available to about 94% of the county's homes and businesses. He said phase 1 covers 78 miles, phase 2 about 125 miles, and that crews are currently in the process of "lashing the fiber to the strand." Murray said PRTC has completed make-ready work on many poles and already lashed about 15 miles of the first-phase fiber.
The presentation outlined five construction stages (make-ready, anchoring, stranding, lashing, splicing) and named initial service areas including Farmers Ridge, Long Branch, Taliga, Fox Hollow and others. Murray said the utility expects some customers to be connected during phase 1, with broader hookups continuing afterward; later phases could finish in early 2027 if schedules hold.
Murray noted the project is funded by a mix of loan and grant funds and that PRTC will cover roughly half of the loan payoff. He also said PRTC will provide election-night coverage for several counties, using PRTC TV and online platforms, and that the service aims to reduce misinformation by offering quicker unofficial results feeds.
The court did not take a formal vote on the presentation. The PRTC update concluded with an offer from Murray to meet with magistrates after the session to discuss specific areas that may be harder to serve because of power-company or pole-access issues.
