As the Shore struggles to solve the difficult problem of getting affordable high-speed broadband to 100% of its homes and businesses, we ask, “What is the Accomack-Northampton Electric Cooperative doing to help?”
In some Virginia counties, the electric co-ops are taking the lead role. In Nelson County, the Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, through its subsidiary Firefly Fiber Broadband, has committed to provide the entire county with broadband by 2024.
Indeed, the CVEC will provide broadband to all of its members by 2022.
In Louisa County, the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, with Firefly, has committed to provide broadband to 100% of the county by 2025.
And in the Shenandoah Valley, the BARC Electric Cooperative is now offering broadband to its 13,000 members in five counties and the cities of Lexington and Buena Vista.
We live a mile from the current Spectrum and Broadband Authority service areas, and a half mile from a state road. At the Northampton public hearing last week, Administrator Kolakowski acknowledged that authority broadband connections can cost many thousands of dollars to homes like ours, especially if the fiber is buried underground.
Yet ANEC electric service comes directly to our home already via utility poles until it goes underground for the last 300 yards.
It seems like ANEC, with its many years of experience and ample resources, could play more of a lead role in providing broadband to our community so we can educate our kids and grow economically.
Jane and Paul Berge
Wachapreague
