REC seeks partners for expanded broadband services

REC knows how important increasing access to retail broadband service to its member-owners. e Cooperative continues to actively seek partnerships to utilize its infrastructure and rights-of-way to expand broadband internet service in its 22-county service area.

As REC moves closer to establishing some of the rst partnerships, the Cooperative also faced a major setback to its plans towards the end of 2020. In October, REC’s Board of Directors approved a $600 million broadband construction project that would also allow REC, through an a liated company, to become a retail broadband service provider. Funding for the approved project was dependent on REC’s previously announced participation in the Federal Communications Commission Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction.

However, those e orts had to be abandoned when a landowner in Culpeper County led a federal lawsuit against REC in an attempt to challenge the constitutionality of a recently passed state law. Virginia code 55.1-306.1 allows utilities to use existing easements to install ber optic cable for non-electric system use such as providing broadband services. As a result of the nancial risk of the lawsuit and scheduling risks associated with the auction, REC withdrew participation in the auction and is no longer moving forward with the plans approved in the fall.

Despite having to abandon plans to directly provide broadband, REC continues to build an 820mile, 130 end-point Fiber Utility Network across its service territory to improve the capabilities and security of its electric grid. While electricity, reliability and sustainability are that project’s primary purpose, it can be used as part of a solution to provide broadband service to the communities we serve through partnerships.

“We understand how crucial broadband service has become, and despite the roadblocks we have faced in bringing that service to our member-owners, we are continuing to explore di erent avenues and actively seek out partners that can provide broadband to our local communities,” said John D. Hewa, President and CEO.

To re ect these changes, and the Cooperative’s continued e orts, REC’s Broadband Position Statement has been updated:

 REC has, and will continue to be, an advocate for broadband service being available to all of our members. We recognize this is very important to the well-being of the communities we serve, impacting everything from education to medical care to economic development.

 REC continues construction of its 820-mile, 130 end-point ber utility network that began in September 2019. e ber utility network will provide numerous advancements and capabilities for REC in the areas of grid modernization, disaster recovery, cyber and physical security, and data analytics. REC will utilize its existing infrastructure to deploy the ber utility network capable of detecting outages faster, thus reducing restoration times and improving reliability.

 REC is actively seeking solutions to bring broadband to our member-owners who do not currently have access to reliable and a ordable broadband internet service. We are doing this by continuing to make the Cooperative’s aerial assets, maintained right-of-ways, and infrastructure available for third-party providers seeking to expand by attaching telecommunications infrastructure and implementing creative solutions that are appropriate.