The Appalachian Regional Commission has awarded $700,000 to install 101 miles of broadband fiber across Patrick County.
The project will ensure that service is available to 3,312 residential connections, 102 business hookups and service to 10 “community anchors.” It is part of a $7.5 million kitty that combines the Appalachian Regional Commission money with state, local and private funding, according to a news release announcing the award from U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem.
Homes and businesses that are unserved or classified as “underserved” — with speeds less than 100 megabits per second upload and 20 Mbps download — are the target, according to a commission strategy statement published this year. The West Piedmont Planning District Commission Universal Broadband Project is in charge of the funds.
About 90% of Patrick County locations lack wire-based internet service at the 100/20 Mbps standard, though about half the county has either cellular, satellite or DSL access, a West Piedmont official wrote, citing an internet service provider’s analysis. The latter service, an acronym for digital subscriber lines, provides internet over landline phone systems.
“The $700,000 awarded by ARC today will assist in the expansion of broadband services to unserved and underserved areas of Patrick County,” Griffith said in the news release. “Once completed, this project will provide access to 3,424 homes and businesses in Patrick County, greatly improving the quality of life of residents in this increasingly digital age.”
The commission partners with the federal government and 13 state governments to focus on economic development in 423 Appalachian counties.
The ARC project is part of the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative’s 2022 and 2023 projects with RiverStreet Networks and Appalachian Power, according to Michael Armbrister, the planning district’s broadband director. The money is a match for those projects’ funds, Armbrister said.
Construction will begin about mid-March and is scheduled for completion in August 2026. When finished, it could bring just about all of the county online, according to Armbrister. The West Piedmont project covers about 70% of the county’s 8,376 locations, regardless of connectivity, and traditional cable providers including Cox are building there, too.
“Community anchors” include locations in Stuart, Critz and Woolwine such as the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Department of Transportation office, Patrick County Community College, Stuart Elementary School and the Fairy Stone State Park office.
“The partners in this project are working diligently to bring broadband access to all those who want it,” Armbrister wrote in an email. “Folks will see crews working soon, and we have a strong partnership between West Piedmont Planning District Commission, RiverStreet Networks, Appalachian Power and Patrick County guiding this project. It takes time to build a fiber to the premises project, but we’ll have a high quality broadband network in Patrick County once it’s completed.”
