October 2020 Fiber Construction Update
October 12, 2020
EMPOWER has been diligently at work building fiber assets across the EMPOWER service area and our high-speed fiber internet is available to nearly 2,700 homes and businesses with 800 of those locations taking advantage of this terrific service. We continue to connect subscribers every day as construction is 96 percent complete on the 135-mile fiber backbone through Pittsylvania, Halifax, Charlotte, Mecklenburg, Brunswick, and Greensville Counties. Crews and engineering teams will be shifting their focus to service drops as we close out 2020. Nonetheless, we continue to connect customers and deliver much needed high-speed internet.
Work continues with the enormous task of integrating EMPOWER facilities with those attained through the Buggs Island Telephone acquisition. With backbone installation complete in the southern halves of Mecklenburg and Brunswick Counties, we’re excited to announce that all sections of constructed fiber are now open for applications for high-speed internet and feature packed phone service. Additionally, for those in the former BIT area, we continue our application for funding specifically available to this designated Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) area through USDA’s Rural Utility Service. EMPOWER’s engineers and consultants continue reviewing our combined facilities and are developing a work plan to serve all subscribers. We anticipate that evaluation to be complete during November and accordingly we’ll provide an updated construction schedule.
Additionally, a number of other areas in the remaining Counties are now also complete and are similarly open for application. Service is available to many homes and businesses across our system. To make sure your location is now eligible, please go to our website, www.empowermec.net and click the box under “Check Availability And Register Your Interest”. Our registration process will guide you through completing an application if service is currently available or it will register your interest for a future build.
Many of you have asked “When are you coming to me?” Accordingly, we have developed our first construction schedule. This includes many areas, but fiber deployment is a tremendous task and all areas have not yet been assigned a schedule date. We thank you in advance for your patience as we catch up on the work that’s gone undone by traditional providers for decades. Please remember we’re in the initial phases of building the backbone but we’re continuing plans to build further off those mainline facilities to additional roads and subscribers. EMPOWER’s effort is well underway and when no one else would… we did!
Please note, that our schedule is subject to adjustment as it may be impacted by inclement weather and the availability of materials. With no further ado, below is a table that summarizes all current and near-term construction projects.
|
Area Description |
Status |
Completion/Availability Date |
|
Pittsylvania County |
||
|
County Line along Highway 40 to Mt. Airy |
Fiber Installed, Splicing Underway |
March 2021 |
|
Mount Airy to Grit, Renan Road and Wards Road |
Make Ready Work Underway preparing for Cable Installation |
September 2021 |
|
Gretna Substation to Gretna Office |
Make Ready Work Complete, preparing for Cable Installation |
June 2021 |
|
Halifax County |
||
|
Clays Mill to Crystal Hill |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Crystal Hill to Highway 501 |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Highway 501 from Cedar Fork Road to Bradley Creek Road |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Leda Grove Road, Pumping Hill, and Old Concord Road |
Fiber Installed, Splicing, Accepting Early Applications |
March 2021 |
|
Cody Road, Highway 40 to County Line |
Fiber Installed, Splicing, Accepting Early Applications |
March 2021 |
|
Highway 40, Bull Creek Road, Rock Barn Road - VATI Grant |
Design and Staking |
December 2021 |
|
Lower Liberty Road and Liberty Road - VATI Grant |
Design and Staking |
December 2021 |
|
Chatham Road, Leda Road, Meadville Road, and Asbury Church Road - VATI Grant |
Design and Staking |
December 2021 |
|
Highway 58 from Omega to Aarons Creek Road, Hitesburg Church Road - VATI Grant |
Design and Staking |
December 2021 |
|
Mecklenburg County |
||
|
MEC Office to High House Road |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Highway 58 from Baskerville Road to Big Fork |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Route 1, Big Fork to Redlawn Road |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Highway 903 from Beechwood Substation to Poplar Creek |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Great Creek and Nellie Jones East |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Holly Grove |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Wooden Bridge Road |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Joyceville |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Morristown Road and Morristown |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Baird Development |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Long Branch Subdivision |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Starboard Drive and Portside |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Fox Run |
Design and Staking, Accepting Early Applications |
March 2021 |
|
Highway 58 to Northview Substation Busy Bee Road |
Fiber Installed, Accepting Early Applications |
December 2020 |
|
Northview Substation, Miles Creek Road, Highway 47 |
Fiber Installed, Splicing |
March 2021 |
|
Trottinridge Road, Country Way, Highway 49 to Jones Store Substation |
Fiber Installed Started, Splicing to be Scheduled, Accepting Early Applications |
March 2021 |
|
Lawson Road |
Design and Staking |
March 2021 |
|
Highway 47 to Lone Oak Road and Old Cox |
Design and Staking |
June 2021 |
|
Charlotte County |
||
|
Barnes Road, Highway 92 to Highway 360 |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Barnes Junction Highway 15 to DC Jackson Substation |
Design, Accepting Early Applications |
December 2021 |
|
Brunswick County |
||
|
Herman Road, Lucky Lane, Poplar Creek Road, Piney Point Circle, and Waterview Court Road Project |
Drops Staked, Material Ordered, Accepting Early Applications |
December 2020 |
|
Siouan Road, Barker Road, Siouan Shores |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Highway 903 Poplar Creek to Ebony |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Ebony to Gasburg, Robinson Ferry Road and Gasburg Road |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Gasburg to Highway 46, Ankum Road |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Highway 46 from Ankum Road to James Square Church |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Highway 46 from Ankum Road to Valentines |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Valentines, Manning Drive to Triplet Road at Greensville County Line |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Greensville County |
||
|
Barley Road to Brink Road to Brink School |
Complete, Accepting Applications |
Service Available |
|
Brink Store to Pine Log Road and Brink Substation |
Design Staking Complete, Make Ready Underway |
March 2021 |
|
Rockbridge Road to Highway 301 |
Fiber Installed, Scheduling Splicing |
June 2021 |
|
Highway 301 to Emporia Substation at Belding Hausman |
Fiber Installed, Scheduling Splicing |
March 2021 |
|
Emporia Substation to 58 at Sadler’s Truck Plaza/95 Interchange to MEC Office |
Fiber Installed, Scheduling Splicing |
March 2021 |
|
Truck Plaza to 301 North to Reese Street to County Industrial Park |
Fiber Installed, Scheduling Splicing |
June 2021 |
As a reminder for subscribers who sign up for service before construction passes their area, you’re eligible to receive a free $100 fiber installation if you subscribe to telephone and broadband or half off if you subscribe to internet alone. The only requirement is that customers commit to a two-year contract for new fiber services.
We will continue to send updates on the status of our fiber construction. Hang in there while we bring you the best of the best… fiber! We appreciate your patience and support.
If you have any questions regarding projects, our crews, or anything related to EMPOWER’s services, please contact us at 1-833-RuralBB (1-833-787-2522), 434-636-2274, or by clicking the “Contact Us” button at www.empowermec.net/content/contact-us. You can always stay up to date with our progress by visiting www.empowermec.net or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EmpowerBroadbandInc.