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Henry County broadband rollout faces financing delays; River Street, Appalachian Power give progress updates
Summary
River Street Networks and Appalachian Power told supervisors that about 90 miles of mid‑mile fiber are in place but financing and redesigns tied to a larger regional project have slowed customer connections; River Street said staff will provide line-by-line service projections to the board.
River Street Networks gave the Henry County Board of Supervisors a progress update on the countywide broadband project, but supervisors said they remain skeptical the build will meet the company’s target. "Henry County is about 2,000 locations," said Zach Church, River Street's director of engineering and construction, describing the scope and the redesign work required after the project was expanded as part of a larger regional initiative.
Church told the board that contract work has been submitted to state and federal partners but that financing and a corrective-action plan at the regional level had complicated schedules. "Once the finances... get squared away... we're ready to go," he said, adding River Street will continue engineering work and permitting to be ready for construction. In response to repeated questions about timing, Church said he would send the board a more detailed projection of how many addresses are serviceable now and how fast activation can proceed.
An Appalachian Power representative later described the mid‑mile construction status and remaining steps before household service can be turned on. He said four of six county routes were complete, the Soapstone route was roughly 73% done with seven miles remaining, and approximately 90 miles of main-line work have been finished. He cautioned that splicing, commissioning generators and final testing remain before households on a given line can be served.
Supervisors pressed for clearer public-facing timelines and asked staff for practical interim steps residents can use to track service availability. County staff directed residents to RiverStreet.net to add addresses to the queue and said River Street will contact residents when lines are spliced and ready to be activated. The board did not take formal action but asked staff to circulate the detailed service and timeline information when available.
The broadband update was part of a longer public‑works and economic‑development conversation at the May 26 meeting between River Street, Appalachian Power and county staff.
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