Broadband town hall provides answers, hope in Charles City
For two years, Charles City residents have been promised high-speed internet in the county. And while only a few businesses have begun to connect through wired underground cables, residents have continuously questioned about the availability and ongoing delays of the service. A town hall Wednesday night with county leaders, citizens, and SCS Broadband looked to shed some light on the issue.
Twenty-nine residents made their way to the town hall meeting with the opportunity to ask questions for 90 minutes to Lon Welcher SCS Broadband’s representative who has been working with the county since Charles City received a $600,000 grant to help the broadband initiative.
Preston Adkins asked about the time frame that residents and businesses will have access to the Internet.
“I understand that Roxbury Industrial has started receiving it but when are the people going to receive it?” asked Adkins.
“Initially we planned to put our original equipment on the tower but because of the landscape, we had to get new equipment,” Welcher responded. “Because of that, it takes longer than our original rollout.
“It’s usually a couple months once the tower is loaded with the new technology and new equipment,” the representative added. “Because of that it will give better coverage.”
“How long will it take for the other towers to be activated?” asked Justin Moore, who resides near the Ruthville area.
“It usually takes 60 days for a tower to activate,” Welcher answered. “Once we get the backhaul (internet connection) at the Roxbury Industrial Park we are going to streamline it as fast as we can.”
Welcher said that residents within the radius of the Roxbury Industrial Tower will begin to receive service in January. However, he added that topography will have an impact on if a person will be able to receive the services. When questioned by Linda Cook about an ideal flat landscape, the representative responded with his company’s standard.
“We don’t usually go by the manufacturer’s standard, but we’re looking at about a five-mile radius with a flat land,” Welcher said. “That is when community relays [smaller towers on local land] would be used to help connect those to the internet.”
Citizens voiced concerns about information in the registration system, while others spoke about the change in the original timeline that was heard at earlier meetings. Small business owners said that they may have to leave the county if broadband internet was not available.
District 2 supervisor Bill Coada commented that compared to other localities, Charles City is far advanced when it comes to getting into the broadband infrastructure business.
“We are light years ahead of anyone when it comes to this issue,” he said, mentioning conversations he recently had with other county supervisors at the VACO (Virginia Association of Counties) conference. “Orange County is making a $12 million investment in their project to bring internet to their area.”
Coada presented comments posted from his social media page from citizens who have complained about customer service and no responses to inquiries from county citizens.
“I hope our concerns about customer service are being addressed,” Coada said.
Meanwhile, District 1 represent Gilbert Smith said he hoped that citizens have received a better understanding of the situation.
“I know this situation has frustrated you all because it has frustrated the board,” Smith commented. “Before this company came in we didn’t have any options for internet in this county.
“I’m asking you all to hang in there with us,” the District 1 representative added. “We’re almost at the light at the end of the tunnel.”
An estimated 75 percent of residents in Charles City will have access to the service. Cost of installation and equipment is pegged at $198 with service plans available starting at $35.