Fast Facts: Rappahannock’s broadband plan

by Tim Carrington | Oct 3, 2022

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After missing a payment for broadband expansion that the county agreed to meet as part of a regional agreement, the Rappahannock County Broadband Authority, comprised of the same members of the Board of Supervisors, will take up the issue again at a joint meeting on Monday.

Here’s a look at the regional plan and the county’s participation in it:

RAPPAHANNOCK’S COMMITMENT

On May 2, the Board of Supervisors voted three-to-two to join 7 neighboring counties to participate in a high-speed fiber optic broadband project, offering connectivity to thousands of Virginians with unreliable connections or none at all.

NATURE OF THE AGREEMENT

Rappahannock’s commitment isn’t structured as a service procurement, but a contract making the county part of a larger public-private development project that involves a mosaic of companies, utilities, and agencies.

WHO’S ACTUALLY PAYING?

Not Rappahannock taxpayers. The state of Virginia is putting up $96 million from its allotment of pandemic rescue funds under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Rappahannock allocated $715,768 from its share of ARPA funds. Another $5.6 million was pledged by local supporters — including the Akre family’s philanthropic foundation, the Rappahannock County Public Schools, and the Warrenton-based PATH Foundation.

THE SERVICE ISN’T FREE

All Points, a Leesburg-based broadband firm, would install fiber-optic for homes and businesses at an across-the-board rate of $199 per connection. Subscribers then pay a monthly rate of $59.99, which can increase with the rate of inflation.

WHO ELSE IS INVOLVED?

The fiscal agent is the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission, which reviews reports from All Points, and then requests reimbursements from the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development, which in turn draws funds from the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative. In signing the contract after its May 2 vote, Rappahannock, with the other seven counties, agreed to make quarterly payments to the NSVRC, which would make regular reports back to the participating counties. The first payment is due Oct. 1.

TIMELINE FOR INSTALLATION

The State of Virginia set July 2025, as the deadline for All Points to construct the broadband network. All Points hasn’t provided details on when and where the work will get underway.

— Tim Carrington for Foothills Forum

WILL EVERYONE BE SERVED?

All Points and the regional commission have stated multiple times in an application and in-person that the company is committed to providing “universal coverage.” Representatives from the company and the NSVRC have told the Board of Supervisors in many presentations that any resident who wants to receive All Points coverage and isn’t currently served by an internet service provider that can deliver adequate speeds will be eligible for fiber.

HOW CAN YOU FIND OUT IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE FOR THE NEW SERVICE?

The first step is to take this online survey: https://fiber.allpointsbroadband.com/

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By Tim Carrington

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Tim Carrington has worked in journalism and economic development, writing for The Wall Street Journal for fifteen years from New York, London and Washington. He later joined the World Bank, where he launched a training program in economics journalism for reporters and editors in Africa and the former Soviet Union. He also served as senior communications officer for the World Bank’s Africa Region. He is author of The Year They Sold Wall Street, published by Houghton Mifflin, and worked at McGraw Hill Publications before joining the Wall Street Journal. His writing on development issues has appeared in The Globalist, World Paper, Enterprise Africa, the 2003 book, The Right To Tell: The Role of Mass Media in Economic Development. He is a regular writer for The Rappahannock News through the Foothills Forum. His profiles and stories on the county’s political economy have earned several awards from the Virginia Press Association. Carrington is also a painter, whose work is regularly shown at the Middle Street Gallery in Little Washington. He grew up in Richmond, Va., and graduated from the University of Virginia. In 2006, he and his wife became part-time resident in Rappahannock County, which is currently their legal residence. Reach Tim at [email protected]

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