On July 24, Virginia Governor Youngkin’s office announced the Southside Planning District Commission (SPDC) and its internet partner, EMPOWER Broadband, were awarded $3.35 million from the 2024 Virginia Telecommunications Initiative. With this grant, EMPOWER will extend fiber network access to an additional 3,983 addresses in portions of Mecklenburg, Halifax and Brunswick counties. This award is an integral “next- step” in continuing EMPOWER’s strategic buildout.
The Department of Housing and Community Development administers the VATI program, which provides targeted financial assistance to extend broadband service to areas that are currently unserved by a provider. The SPDC’s project application was evaluated on, among other things, demonstrated need and benefit for the community, and EMPOWER’s readiness and capacity to allow for the additional locations.
“We are pleased to receive this new VATI funding in partnership with the SPDC,” said EMPOWER President and CEO Casey Logan. “Our team has worked aggressively to continue the build out of fiber across our region and deliver the broadband services our communities need. The advantage of this grant is its use of existing mainline fiber that allows the extension of high-speed internet to even more homes and businesses. Ultimately, this award moves us closer to our target goal of universal broadband coverage."
Additionally, these addresses are part of a joint request, submitted by EMPOWER and RiverStreet Communications, seeking Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval to transfer portions of RiverStreet’s Connect America Fund blocks to EMPOWER. Both entities are awaiting approval of the transfer. When approved, EMPOWER will expand its high-speed fiber network to include 2,637 locations in Mecklenburg, 1,299 in Halifax and 47 in southern Brunswick counties.
Once all agreements are finalized, the EMPOWER team will update its eligibility map and will make an announcement of those changes on its Facebook page and its website. EMPOWER encourages those interested in service to visit empowermec.net, click Check Availability on its top menu bar and follow the steps to register their interest.
EMPOWER is a fully owned subsidiary of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative.
