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Danville Telecom outlines plan to bring fiber to roughly 18 homes north of Danville
Summary
Danville Telecom told Des Moines County supervisors it will use earlier ARPA funding and a targeted build plan to bring fiber to roughly 18 homes in an initial phase, with room to expand; supervisors pressed the company to coordinate permitting to speed construction.
Gina Parsons, general manager of Danville Telecom, told the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors that the company is ready to proceed with a broadband build in areas north of Danville originally identified for ARPA-funded service expansion. Parsons said the county previously provided $355,000 in ARPA funds toward reaching underserved locations and that the current plan shows about 18 homes in the initial build area with opportunities to expand later.
"Once we get started, it'll move quickly," Parsons said, adding that permitting and contractor scheduling will shape the timeline. She said the company hopes construction will position the project for completion in 2026 and invited county permitting staff to coordinate early to shorten review times.
A county official raised concerns about past subcontractor communication and cleanup on other regional projects, saying, "Their subcontractors have been terrible. They're horrible at communicating." Parsons said Michael Baker, the company's senior sales and operations manager, will work closely with county staff to manage the project.
Supervisors asked about maps and exact service boundaries; Parsons said the initial mapping identifies the first phase and that the company expects expansion eastward beyond Des Moines County at a later stage. The presentation included a recap of the 2020 planning work that identified underserved locations as those with download speeds under 100 Mbps and upload speeds under 20 Mbps.
The board took no formal vote on the presentation. Supervisors asked staff and the company to coordinate on permits and pre-construction communications so the build can proceed as quickly as local reviews allow.
