Cable operator Breezeline on Feb. 15 announced that construction has been completed on a $7.2 million, 150-mile fiber broadband network that will serve more than 1,400 homes and businesses in Virginia's Mathews, Caroline, Lancaster and Middlesex counties.
The project has been funded through a $4.2 million Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) grant administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).
According to a press release, Breezeline contributed $1.5 million towards the project, with the remaining $1.5 million supported by the counties. The first homes were activated through the initiative in May 2022.
The initiative is one of multiple private-public broadband partnerships that Breezeline has pursued to expand the reach of broadband across its service areas.
With support from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (also known as the CARES Act), and other partnerships, Breezeline has completed additional expansion projects in Middlesex, Caroline and King George counties in Virginia, St. Mary’s and Queen Anne’s counties in Maryland, and in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
With the construction phase now complete on the latest deployment, the communities will have access to advanced internet services for distance learning, work-from-home, telehealth, gaming, etc. Breezeline representatives will be visiting homes in the project areas to discuss service offerings.
William T. Newborg, director of grants and funding for Breezeline, commented:
“We are excited to have completed the construction of this state-of-the-art fiber-broadband network to serve the homes and businesses of these four counties. We are grateful to the Breezeline engineers, technicians, and contractors, as well as our dedicated community partners who have made it possible to successfully complete the project.”
