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DHCD grants six-month extension for Caroline County broadband project, county IT director says
Summary
The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development granted a six-month extension for the Caroline Eastern broadband project, moving the deadline to April 23, 2027, Caroline County IT Director David Sadler said. Sadler reported 198 miles completed, more than 2,170 homes now serviceable, and urged residents on private drives to watch for required easement letters.
David Sadler, director of information technology for Caroline County, said the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development has granted a six-month extension on the Caroline Eastern (Batty 2023) broadband project, moving the completion deadline to April 23, 2027.
"DHCD has granted a 6 month extension to this project," Sadler said during a Broadband Advisory Committee update on May 18. He told residents the extension is intended to allow construction to be finished on long private drives before the grant closes out.
Sadler provided progress numbers: "198 miles have been completed" and "2,170 plus homes are now serviceable" that were not served before the project began. He said the project's total fiber is expected to be slightly under the original estimate (reported in the update as 439 miles) because of design changes during construction.
Several service clusters are entering sales phases. Sadler said areas south of Route 207 and Route 301 are now available for sale and that GCV 18–19 are scheduled for June or July releases; TCV 20–23 are estimated for July–August; and GCV 24–26 are estimated for August–September. Residents in serviceable areas were advised to contact Breezeline sales; Sadler read a Breezeline contact name and phone number for those inquiries.
Sadler listed the principal causes of schedule delays: weather, property-access problems tied to easements, and agricultural restrictions that prevent construction in fields during planting and harvest. He said some aerial construction will be postponed until post-harvest to avoid impacts on farming.
A recurring issue, Sadler said, is long private drives that serve multiple residences. "This area along these driveways are private roads. Therefore, Breezeline cannot access those roads to complete the construction to your house," he said, and added that affected property owners will receive letters from Breezeline and from Caroline County explaining required agreements. He warned that properties not constructed during grant closeout "will be removed from the grant and the property owner will be responsible for the cost of constructing back to the house" if they do not sign the necessary paperwork.
Sadler said some addresses that were not included in the county's 2023 Verizon grant will be served by other providers: IWISP plans a build in the Charlesburg area beginning about July and expected to take roughly 12 months, while some addresses on Wrightsville Road, Smoots, and Chase Street are currently scheduled to be serviced by Starlink. He also said the Caroline County Board of Supervisors has directed the broadband advisory committee to explore additional options for houses not covered by the 2023 grant.
For residents with questions about easements, construction issues or enrollment, Sadler directed them to use the "submit your question" button on the broadband page of the Caroline County website. The next broadband update will be on June 15, 2026, and can be viewed on the county's YouTube site.
The committee closed the update by thanking engaged citizens and reiterating the county's commitment to extending broadband to unserved homes.
