Connecting People with the Rest of the World and with Each Other

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

Grayson County, located in Southwest Virginia, is 446 square miles of mountainous terrain with a population of just over 15,000. With 57% of households and more than half of the fire and rescue stations without broadband access, Grayson has the least connectivity in the region. While the natural assets contribute to a positive quality of life and drive entrepreneurship and tourism, this same topography and a limited customer base of just over 9,000 housing units present a significant challenge for broadband service providers. However, these challenges did not deter Grayson from exploring feasibility of broadband access. In 2017, broadband was deemed the County’s top priority. They formed a committee, conducted a feasibility study, and put out a Request for Proposals for broadband services. As a result, in 2020 the County began a partnership with Appalachian Power and GigaBeam Networks. It was originally thought to be a ten year project. Fast forward to June 2021 with 40% of the 240 miles of fiber having been installed, with 50% by December, and the first broadband customer connected December 14. This public-private partnership created a solution that hasn’t been done elsewhere in the US with other localities now beginning to duplicate the process.