PUBLIC NOTICE
Virginia
Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission
30-Day
Public Comment Period
Mecklenburg
Electric Cooperative’s EMPOWER Fiber Broadband Project
On March 8,
2018, the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission (Tobacco
Commission) awarded a grant of $2.6 million dollars to Mecklenburg County and
co-applicant Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative (MEC) to assist MEC in the design
and construction of a broadband project serving portions of the Southside
Virginia counties of Brunswick, Charlotte, Greensville, Halifax, Mecklenburg,
and Pittsylvania at a total estimated cost of $5.2 million dollars.This
pilot project is intended to be the initial phase of a multi-phase offering of retail
broadband service across MEC’s service area.
MEC’s Fiber
Communication Deployment Project will encompass three backbone segments. The
Western Segment will deploy 47 miles of new optical fiber backbone primarily
connecting MEC’s Gretna office to its Chase City office and seven substations
generally along sections of Highways 40, 501, and 92. Accordingly, this segment
will pass MEC members in portions of Pittsylvania, Halifax, Charlotte and
Mecklenburg counties. Subsequently, the Central Segment will provide 42 miles
of fiber allowing the cooperative to connect its Chase City office to its Ebony
Substation crossing portions of Mecklenburg and Brunswick County generally
along sections of Highways 92, 1, and 903. Lastly, the Eastern Segment will
deploy 46 miles of fiber to connect MEC’s Ebony Substation to the Emporia
office generally along sections of Highways 627 and 633 crossing portions of
Brunswick and Greensville counties. Collectively, these three segments will
pass within 1,000 feet of 2,910 homes and businesses with a total of 135 miles
of new fiber backbone.
Grant funds from the
Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission will then cover the costs of a
Fiber-To-The-Premises (FTTP) project administered by MEC’s wholly owned
subsidiary, EMPOWER Broadband, for those homes and businesses within 1,000 feet
of the aforementioned fiber backbone. Retail fiber facilities will be deployed following
the existing power lines to premises whether overhead, or underground, to serve
customers utilizing the matching $2.6 million from the Tobacco Commission.
EMPOWER will
lease fiber capacity from MEC and provide retail internet services. An entry
level package of 50Mbps, and additional package offerings up to 1Gbps, will be
offered to EMPOWER customers.
Design, construction,
and deployment of the backbone is underway with EMPOWER’s first customers being
connected no later than September of 2018. As construction begins in each area,
MEC will provide specific information regarding service availability dates and
information on how to subscribe to this new service. More information
will also be forthcoming on future phases undertaken by EMPOWER Broadband.
Mecklenburg
County and MEC invite the public to offer any comments on the project over the
next 30 days, including whether any other provider is currently offering
broadband service in the project area. Comments will be received by email
through Saturday, August 11, 2018, at wayne.carter@mecklenburgva.com.Comments may also be mailed to MEC/EMPOWER
Broadband Comments, Attn: Wayne Carter, Mecklenburg County Administrator, P.O.
Box 307, Boydton, Virginia 23917 or hand-delivered to the Mecklenburg County
Administration Building, 350 Washington Street, Boydton, Virginia, during normal
work hours of 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday-Friday.
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