Firefly Fiber Broadband Receives $12.2 Million Grant from Virginia Telecommunication Initiative to Provide Universal Broadband Service to Unserved Accounts in 10 Central Virginia Counties
VATI 24
July 2024
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced the award of $12,200,000 in Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) grants to Firefly Fiber BroadbandSM, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative. The funding will support the $48,600,000 project which, partnering with Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Dominion Energy, and county governments, will offer universal access to gigabit speed broadband service to unserved homes and businesses in 10 counties in Central Virginia. The fiber construction will take approximately 3 years to complete and will include 603 miles of fiber, and will be available to nearly 6,000 additional eligible locations.
Wood, Firefly president and CEO, states, “Thanks to the critical funding provided by the federal government and made available through the VATI program, we can now assure that every family and business in central Virginia will have access to reliable, affordable internet service equivalent to the best in the United States,” said Firefly President and CEO, Gary Wood. “We appreciate the hard work and support of Governor Youngkin, local elected officials, as well as the support of the supervisors in each of the partner counties.”
Administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), VATI provides targeted financial assistance to extend broadband service to areas that are unserved by an internet service provider. Projects were selected through a competitive process that evaluated each project for demonstrated need and benefit for the community, applicant readiness and capacity, and the cost and leverage of the proposed project. This VATI 2024 grant will be used to expand on the fiber built with funds from the VATI 2022 grant and will reach an additional 5,825 locations over the next 2 years. Firefly was awarded a VATI grant in 2021 to serve 36,000 homes and businesses in the region by the end of 2025.
The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) served as the lead applicant for the grant application. “The TJPDC is proud to continue our current partnership with Firefly to reach the objective of providing universal broadband access to all underserved and unserved areas in Central Virginia,” said Christine Jacobs, TJPDC Executive Director. “We look forward to more collaboration with this great team to further advance the provision of high-speed fiber internet across the project area.”
Firefly’s Regional Internet Service Expansion (RISE) Project was launched in 2021 to expand broadband to parts of 13 counties, making internet high-speed internet accessible to more than 45,000 locations and 112,000 Virginians. The RISE project includes 5,000 miles of fiber construction and will cost $330 million to complete. The project will be executed by partnering with other area utilities to complete the fiber build, using funds secured from the VATI grants and county contributions to aid with construction costs. Learn more about the RISE Project.
Firefly is also the internet service provider (ISP) for the CVEC fiber build, a $130 million plan to install over 4,500 miles of fiber-optic cable in the 14 counties it serves, providing broadband internet access to all of its 39,000 members. The fiber network, completed in 2022, is owned by CVEC and uses laser beams and glass fibers to move data at speeds of up to one gigabit per second, delivering world-class communications to CVEC members.
Firefly achieved the milestone of connecting 30,000 customers in June and will celebrate its 6th year in business at the end of July. More information about areas included in this build and for pricing on internet and phone packages, browse our website.
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Regional Internet Service Expansion (RISE) Project
VATI 22
December 2021
The RISE Project is an initiative by Firefly Fiber BroadbandSM, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC), to provide internet access to all underserved homes and businesses in 13 counties in Central Virginia. Firefly offers gigabit-speed internet via fiber to the premise that is reliable and affordable. Through a partnership with Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC), Dominion Energy Virginia, and the counties of Albemarle, Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, and Powhatan, Firefly’s RISE Project will make high-speed internet accessible to more than 45,000 locations and 112,000 Virginians.
In the VATI project area, the partnership of REC, Dominion, and Firefly will build about 4,000 miles of fiber and pass about 36,000 homes, totaling $288,000,000. That total includes $79 million in VATI funds and $33,500,000 from the county partners.
The VATI leverage areas, built in coordination with the VATI buildout, add 600 miles of fiber, pass 5,500 homes, and cost $23,300,000. The contingent areas add 325 miles and 2,700 more passings. The areas also add $25,000,000 with $5,800,000 from VATI and $1,900,000 from the county partners.
The total RISE Project will cost $330 million, take approximately 3 years to complete, and include 5,000 miles of fiber construction.
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Dominion Energy
For more information about Dominion Energy’s middle-mile projects, visit Dominion Energy’s website.
Firefly Fiber Broadband
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Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
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