Palmyra, Virginia — Firefly Fiber BroadbandSM, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC), is advocating to protect their fiber lines from unlawful destruction. Labor Day marks the opening of dove season in Virginia, and Firefly urges dove hunters not to shoot at birds perched on power lines. Firing at power lines is a federal offense and can cause costly damage to electric and fiber infrastructure.
Last Labor Day, Firefly’s fiber optic cable was damaged in 6 localities from birdshot, resulting in internet and phone outages for thousands of customers and a hefty bill for Firefly. The Firefly footprint has expanded to over 30,000 customers and is growing by 200 to 250 per week. Fiber optic cable is being placed adjacent to overhead electric lines at a rapid pace to deliver world-class broadband services to central Virginians. The optical fibers used to deliver internet are protected by glass tubing, which shatters upon impact when shot and can disrupt internet and phone services.
“Damage to fiber during dove hunting season is a new phenomenon for Firefly and for local hunters,” says Firefly CEO and President, Gary Wood. “The landscape has changed over the past few years, and there is now fiber just beneath the power lines that is susceptible to birdshot. Firefly wants to educate our local hunters about this change and spread the word about the damage shooting at power and fiber lines can cause.”
Hunting season for doves opens on September 2, and Firefly is proactively educating the public about this unlawful practice and is asking everyone to share this information with family and friends.
