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Charter outlines RDOF fiber build for Harrison County, citing about 8,762 passings and 1,100 miles of fiber
Summary
Charter/Spectrum representatives told Harrison County commissioners that FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund work will bring roughly 8,762 residential passings and about 1,100 miles of new fiber to unserved parts of the county, with initial speeds of 1 Gbps down and 500 Mbps up and hubs planned in Carthage.
Charter/Spectrum representatives told Harrison County commissioners on Oct. 22 that the company will build new fiber to serve unserved and underserved parts of the county under the federal Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).
Ronda Anderson introduced the Charter team and handed the presentation to Joe Canalis, who described the national-scale project and how it affects East Texas. Canalis said the broader RDOF program will deliver "roughly around 115,000 miles of fiber" nationwide and that Spectrum is contributing the majority of project funds. For Harrison County specifically, he said the company is planning about 8,762 residential passings and roughly 1,100 miles of fiber in the county, and that a hub will be built in Carthage to support the buildout.
Canalis said initial consumer speeds available on the new network will be "one gig down and 500 Megs up," and that Charter is working toward symmetrical 1 Gbps up and down where feasible. He added the company does not plan data caps and intends to offer the same pricing in rural areas as in urban markets: "we're not charging any more for these areas it's going to be the same price that you know where everyone else is paying in these urban areas."
Charter staff described a multiyear schedule of milestones: they told the court they expect to be active in Harrison County by late in the calendar year or early January, that hubs and initial permits should appear in the coming months, and that the full project timetable runs through 2026 with a goal to complete most construction in 2025 and finish cleanup and remaining tasks by the end of 2026.
Commissioners and county staff asked about construction impacts, permits and coordination with Road & Bridge. Charter said much of the build will be aerial where possible but the company has pivoted to underground work in places where utility pole make-ready work cannot keep pace. Charter encouraged local residents to route questions through county permitting staff and said contractor contact cards were left with county offices.
The presentation supplied a county-level map showing the targeted coverage areas and a contact list for follow-up; Charter staff said they will share the presentation with county staff after the meeting.
