Virginia deems two-thirds of recently funded broadband expansion projects behind schedule

Earlier in 2024, the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) sent letters to 22 projects that it believes are at some risk of blowing a key deadline. That’s nearly two-thirds of the 36 projects that Virginia funded in the 2022 fiscal year. Officials say they are confident they will be finished well before the end of 2026. After that, the federal government would take back whatever pandemic-era funding any project fails to spend. Creating many delays is the “make-ready” process, which involves preparing utility poles to carry the additional broadband cable required to deliver internet access. That process could also lead to replacing poles or adding new ones. The General Assembly passed and Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) signed a law focuses heavily on that process. The need for action arose from disagreements between ISPs and the utility companies that own the poles. Lawmakers and others reported some disagreements over the time it takes to prepare poles to carry new cable, or replace and add new poles to handle the increased load — the make-ready work — and to pay for it.