Acting CIO says railroad sign-off, junction-box work and an RFP are next steps for Portsmouth’s fiber rollout

Scarlett Caprell, acting chief information officer for Portsmouth, told the panel the city is making measurable progress on its broadband build but still faces key permit and coordination steps before service can be activated broadly.

"Danella submitted the update June 3," Caprell said, adding that "Genesee and Wyoming Railroad, which is GWRR, requires a new right of entry." She said the railroad’s approval is needed to finalize routing at a rail crossing and keep the project on schedule. Caprell also reported that engineering confirmed junction-box placements on the Churchland Bridle and that crews will verify markings and develop a plan for cable replacement and testing.

Why it matters: The right-of-entry from a rail owner and the physical placement of junction boxes are gating items for completing continuous fiber routes and achieving redundancy. Caprell said the city is holding bimonthly coordination meetings with Danella, the current field contractor, and strengthening cooperation with Old Dominion University and Tri-City partners to secure right-of-way easements.

On procurement, Caprell said legal review of a fiber operations-and-maintenance request for proposals is nearly complete and that staff expects to issue the RFP within the next couple of weeks. "Our goal is within the next couple of weeks," she said. Staff described a typical 30–45 day bid period after issuance and said an award would follow the solicitation period.

Council members and staff spent much of the update translating technical milestones into what residents will see. A staff presenter said most conduits are already in place and that the remaining "yellow" segments on city maps denote locations where fiber still must be blown through to complete the ring. "It's dark right now, but it'll be lit up," the presenter said, describing the need to install and configure active equipment at each end of those segments.

Members raised community-impact concerns about digging and restoration. One member said residents had complained about impacts to driveways and water lines. The City manager responded that work in the city right-of-way follows permitting and inspection protocols and that contractors must call 811 locates; inspectors are expected to verify restoration after work is finished.

The meeting also addressed anchor institutions. Staff said an original list of priority facilities exists and can be shared; several schools, the presenters said, delayed lateral installations because they currently receive subsidized ISP rates and thus deferred connecting until the network is fully operational.

Next steps: Staff said contractors and statements of work are in place and a kickoff was planned to begin the next rollout activities; a more detailed timeline for quarters and milestones will be presented at the next meeting in August. Caprell and the City manager said staff will produce an updated rollout plan and a glossary of terms so new and returning members can consistently track connection status.

Reporting note: All quoted material is taken from meeting remarks by Portsmouth staff and the acting CIO as recorded in the meeting transcript.