What does western Loudoun broadband expansion mean for you?

By Laura Longley

For everyone living and working without high-speed internet service in rural America, the news from the White House on June 27 couldn’t have been better: $42.5 billion from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funding— $1.48 billion of that for Virginia—would be coming to their rescue by 2030.

In Loudoun County, however, the horizon is shorter: By the summer of 2024, 8,629 under- and unserved residents and businesses in western Loudoun are on track for installation of Fiber-to-the-Home service. FTTH will vastly increase the speed of downloading and uploading digital content from the internet. The project is funded from American Rescue Plan Act monies awarded to the county, a $17.75 million grant from the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI)
expansion project plus a contribution of more than $20 million from partner All Points Broadband.

Another 186 homes already have been identified and included in a second Loudoun County Request for Proposal, making them eligible for the same service once the county awards a contract when the RFP closes on July 14. For these fiber installations, Loudoun County will neither own nor manage fiber or property.

That’s the big picture. But what does all that mean for you? Will you benefit? How, when, and at what cost?

As U.S. Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (VA-10) said at a June 29 roundtable in Hillsboro with U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves, “Expanding broadband means kids don’t have to sit in a McDonald’s parking lot to connect to Wi-Fi just so they can do their homework. Expanding broadband means new opportunities for small business owners to grow and innovate their business.” 

So how do you find out whether your home or business is included?

Go to the All Points Broadband website at allpointsbroadband.com and click on the blue “Register” button on the home page. On the next page, click on the green “Get Started” button. Then you’ll enter your full address with city and zip code and click “Check address.” You’ll then learn whether you are in or outside the current areas. If not, you may be eligible for a future service area. Be sure to fill out the form for updates.

What if you’re not included in either the first or second project and want fiber service?

According to county staff working on the broadband expansion, both the VATI project and the active RFP were “moments in time.” Any additional homes determined in newer mapping cannot be added to the existing projects. The same holds true for newly constructed homes. Going forward, staff will work with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, which manages the VATI project, to identify homes that came back as unserved.

When can you expect installation?

The initial project is rolling out in two steps now: 1) All Points Broadband is currently visiting and acquiring permits for fiber attachment to all 10,600 utility poles needed for the project, and 2) once the permit work is completed, APB will install the fiber on the poles. 

Will All Points run the fiber to your home or business underground or overhead? Either way, what will the installation cost you?

For the first 12 months after service is available to your home or business, the one-time installation charge is $199, with the caveat that All Points plans to run fiber following the existing power entry. For example, if power is delivered to your home aerially, then broadband fiber will be as well. If you would prefer to have the fiber buried, expect extra costs so be sure to get an estimate upfront. There’s a $5 fee for the standard router, which is required for service.

It’s important to note that if you do not take advantage of the $199 installation fee in the first year, you could incur higher APB installation fees. The county will not be able to assist you with those fees. 

If your household qualifies as low-income, can you get a discount on the price?

The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase one laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. You’ll find the details at fcc.gov/acp.

What if another fiber installation/high-speed internet provider comes knocking at your door once All Points has strung fiber on the poles? Can you go with them? 

The county reports that if another broadband provider delivers to an address in the VATI project area, you are welcome to choose between services. However, under VATI guidelines, the county cannot provide any financial support to another provider for the delivery of broadband service to a home already accepted in the VATI project. 

Nonetheless, if a second broadband option becomes available to you, APB will build fiber to your home as part of the VATI project. 

What about Comcast and Verizon? Are they part of this western Loudoun FTTH project?

Based on staff’s knowledge of Comcast’s technology, the expectation is that if they provide cable TV service to a residence, they also offer broadband. Staff is not aware of any Comcast address that only provides Cable TV services. The county’s Verizon franchise agreement renewal with the county is under active negotiation.

If you live in one of the western Loudoun towns, are you included in this county-sponsored project?

County staff makes clear that the county does not differentiate between town and non-town residents but cannot definitively state that an entire town is served by none, one, or both county franchisees—Comcast and Verizon. There are non-franchisee broadband companies—wired and wireless—that provide service to county residents. However, those providers do not have agreements with the county, and staff has no information on which areas or residents they serve. For example, in 2020-2021 when Hillsboro built the underground infrastructure for utilities as part of its traffic calming project, the town contracted with KGI Communications for fiber and service to its residents and businesses.

The Blue Ridge Leader thanks the Loudoun County staff for their help in providing these answers to the many questions we have fielded from western Loudoun residents.