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Caroline County seeks six‑month extension for VADI 2023 broadband project as construction advances
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Summary
Caroline County IT Director David Sadler said the county approved a request that Breezeline seek a six‑month extension from the Department of Housing and Community Development to finish agricultural and private‑drive work; the project has completed about 198 miles of fiber and made service available to roughly 2,170 homes.
David Sadler, Caroline County IT director and project manager for VADI 2023, said April 20 that Breezeline has requested a six‑month extension to finish remaining work on the VADI 2023 Caroline East broadband project and that Caroline County — the grant recipient — has approved submitting that request to the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). If DHCD approves, the project deadline would move from Oct. 23, 2026, to April 2027.
"This project is estimated to be 439 miles of fiber construction and to serve 3,910 unserved homes," Sadler said, providing the core scope of the grant‑funded effort. He told viewers the bulk of construction should be complete by the original deadline, but specific zones require additional time to finish.
Sadler said the project has made measurable progress: "Over a 198 miles of fiber construction has been completed" and "over 2,170 homes that were previously unserved now have service available to them." He described rolling sales availability: several TCV zones are scheduled for release to customers in June–September 2026, with the final zone (GCV 26) expected in September 2026.
He listed the main reasons for the requested extension: an extended period of weather that prevented work under VDOT permits, delays in utility make‑ready work (including required pole and line changes by Rappahannock Electric), and difficulty obtaining property access on long private drives and multi‑residence private roads. "If you live on a private drive, please be on the lookout for a letter from Breezeline," Sadler said, urging property owners to sign access agreements so construction can proceed.
Sadler warned that properties that do not respond or refuse permission "will be removed from the grant and may bear future costs of construction if they choose to later take service." He said county staff and Breezeline are sending outreach letters and that underground work around agricultural fields continues while aerial work waits for harvest and permitted access.
Separately, Sadler said addresses in Charlesburg that were not included in the 2023 Verizon grant will be served by IWISP, with construction estimated to begin in July and take about 12 months, and that certain addresses on Wrightsville Road, Smoots and Chase Street are scheduled to receive service via Starlink under a federally funded program.
The Board of Supervisors has directed the broadband advisory committee to explore additional options for addresses not covered by VADI 2023. Sadler said the next broadband update is scheduled for May 18, 2026, and directed residents to the Caroline County website (co.caroline.va.us) and the county's broadband tab for maps and notices. He closed by thanking viewers for their engagement.
Next steps: the county's approval advances a formal extension request to DHCD; a DHCD decision will determine whether the deadline shifts to April 2027 and whether the remaining agricultural and private‑drive work can be completed under the grant timeline.
