Pittsylvania County Partners with RiverStreet Networks to Provide Fiber-to-the-Home to 11,985 Unserved Locations; County, Schools Commit $16.5 Million to Project
With MOU, Pittsylvania County and RiverStreet Commit to Providing Universal Coverage Across the County
Pittsylvania County and RiverStreet Networks are jointly committed to creating
an extensive fiber-to-the-home network that reaches almost every home in the
county. During Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Chairman Bob Warren,
School Board Chairman Sam Burton, and RiverStreet Networks CEO Eric Cramer
signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to leverage all possible
funding opportunities to continue to expand fiber across Pittsylvania County.
As the first phase of this joint project, Pittsylvania County and Pittsylvania County
Schools are committing a combined $16.5 million to a $75,696,939 fiber-to-the-
home project. RiverStreet Networks is also willing to provide a $19.6 million
match. The remaining $39.5 million is expected to come from a grant from the
Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) through the Virginia Department of
Housing and Community Development. Within approximately three years,
RiverStreet Networks is planning to pass 11,985 unserved places, as defined by
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), with this fiber network.
Additional funding opportunities are being sought to expand the number of
unserved homes that can be passed with this fiber network.
“This Board of Supervisors understands that reliable and affordable internet
access is no longer a luxury; it’s a utility that every resident of Pittsylvania County
should have available to them,” said Bob Warren, Chairman of the Pittsylvania
County Board of Supervisors. “We are committed to expanding access to fiber
networks to all of our residents and businesses through every resource at our
disposal. Through this significant investment and lasting partnership with
RiverStreet, we will continue to leverage other funding opportunities to give
more of our community the ability to get online. After realizing several years ago
that the Laurel Grove community would never get reliable broadband without
significant investments, Dan River Supervisor Joe Davis has been persistent in
keeping the issue of broadband access in front of the Board of Supervisors – as
well as the community at large.”
“We are thrilled to bring fiber internet to Pittsylvania County. Upgrading and
expanding our existing network in Pittsylvania County into more rural
communities will be the foundation for better connectivity for the community,”
said Eric Cramer, President and CEO of RiverStreet Networks. “The current
pandemic has given us an immediate, real world, example of how access to
technology and connectivity are vital to educational, civic and economic
successes. This partnership will align with our goal of providing more unserved
and unserved communities with broadband connectivity.”
“Pittsylvania County Schools is so glad to be able to partner with RiverStreet
Networks and Pittsylvania County to expand internet access across our
communities,” said Sam Burton, Chairman of the Pittsylvania County School
Board. “The need for every student of Pittsylvania County Schools to have
reliable and affordable internet access was already apparent before the
COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the last year and a half has only crystalized that
need even more. We are excited for the progress that this partnership and
project will make in connecting so many of our students.”
Attached is a map that shows where the fiber cables will be laid over the next
three years. Anybody who wants to learn more about Pittsylvania County’s
commitment to expanding internet access should visit
pittsylvaniacountyva.gov/broadband, and those who want to learn more about
RiverStreet Networks’ service and express interest in receiving internet access
should visit join.buildpittsylvania.com.
This partnership represents a major shift in the way that the Board of Supervisors is
working to tackle a lack of internet access, one of the biggest problems facing
Pittsylvania County. As part of a strategic plan adopted in 2019, the Board of
Supervisors set a goal of that at least 90% of county residents should have
broadband access by 2024. Within that plan, the Board committed to helping
facilitate broadband from the private sector, but Pittsylvania County is now
significantly increasing its investment, and as a result will participate in a
revenue-sharing agreement with RiverStreet Networks. This means that
Pittsylvnaia County will generate revenue from all new customers within the
county, and all of those funds will be re-invested into broadband expansion
efforts.
RiverStreet Networks is an award-winning communications technology
company headquartered in Wilkesboro, NC. For 70 years, RiverStreet Networks
has played an active role in providing telecommunication services and
connecting communities with broadband service. RiverStreet Networks is
focused on delivering the latest and best technology to unserved and
underserved rural areas. Service is provided in areas of North Carolina and
Virginia with excellent telephone, internet, video, security systems and business
solutions.
While there are a few other internet providers in Pittsylvania County, none of
them have demonstrated a commitment to leveraging available funding
opportunities to reach those who are currently unserved. RiverStreet Networks is
built on a mission of using creative means to provide internet in rural areas that
are simply not cost-effective markets for companies focused on profits. This
project specifically targets those that do not have broadband access at this
time.
As defined by the FCC, broadband access means download speeds of at least
25 megabits per second and upload speeds of 3 megabits per second. This is
often referred to as speeds of 25/3. While this is the bare minimum speed for
broadband, the majority of customers on RiverStreet’s network are expected to
have speeds that significantly exceed the broadband threshold, with many
even having speeds of 100/100.
The current project will pass 11,985 eligible funded locations, as defined by the
FCC. The Memorandum of Understanding between RiverStreet Networks and
Pittsylvania County shows the commitment of both organizations to expand
broadband access to every Pittsylvania County residence by jointly pursuing
other funding opportunities on the state and federal level. Pittsylvania County
and RiverStreet Networks share a singular goal: providing universal coverage
across Pittsylvania County.
Pittsylvania County and Pittsylvania County Schools are both contributing a
significant portion of the funds received from the American Rescue Plan Act
(ARPA) to this project. Pittsylvania County Schools are contributing $5.5 million
and Pittsylvania County is contributing an additional $6.5 million. For the
remaining $4 million, Pittsylvania County is taking out a revenue bond, the
payments for which will be covered by the revenue generated through
Pittsylvania County’s revenue sharing with RiverStreet Networks.
Pittsylvania County first announced a partnership with RiverStreet Networks in
March of this year for a joint fixed wireless project. That was always seen as a
stopgap before fiber coverage could be provided, which is why those funds are
being rolled over into this fiber network expansion. Now that additional funding
opportunities are available, Pittsylvania County and RiverStreet Networks are
focused on expanding the fiber network, which will provide the highest speed
and reliability for county residents.