Firefly Fiber says county rollout nearly complete; 3,800 connections so far

Galen Creekmore, government affairs and key accounts manager for Central Virginia Electric and Firefly Fiber, told the Board that the broadband project in Buckingham is nearing completion and crews are working actively to connect remaining customers. "The good news is, basically, the end is in sight," he said, adding that about 98% of the fiber plant is built and the project is approaching roughly 3,800 customer connections of an anticipated 4,500.

Creekmore said the project is operational in different footprints built under different funding and construction programs (CVC, Dominion footprint and a USDA Reconnect-funded segment) and that the remaining work is primarily splicing and registration backlog in the Dominion areas. He also reported that recent storms caused outages — "as much as 7,000" regionally and just under 1,500 in Buckingham — and crews were dispatched to restore service. He reminded the board that capital funding includes loan funds reimbursed after connections and that installation is free for residents while crews are working in the area.