Goochland touts April 27 virtual town hall for high-speed internet expansion

Goochland County is steering residents in the Covington, Crozier and Jackson Shop zones to an April 27 virtual town hall on high-speed internet, where Firefly Fiber Broadband will outline construction timing and take questions from households that still are waiting for service. Firefly says the standard $100 installation fee will be waived for residents who sign up now, a practical incentive for families deciding whether to move ahead before the drop is built.

The session will open with a short presentation at 4 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer period. Residents who register but cannot attend will receive a recording by email, and Firefly’s registration materials urge households to pre-register by address so the company can confirm eligibility and identify who wants internet or phone service. The town hall also gives neighbors a chance to ask where crews are working next and when last-mile connections could reach their roads.

That timing matters in a county where broadband is no longer framed as a convenience. Goochland County says access is essential for business, education, public safety and daily life, and the county’s broadband page now directs residents to service updates, maps and a form to report broadband and cellular problems. For a family in Crozier or a small business in Covington trying to keep up with remote work, homework uploads or a telehealth visit, the difference between a weak signal and a fiber line can decide whether the task gets done at home or has to be handled elsewhere.

The broader Firefly Regional Internet Service Expansion, or RISE, was launched in 2021 after a $79 million Virginia Telecommunication Initiative grant for Firefly Fiber Broadband and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative. County materials describe the project as a $288 million effort to bring gigabit-speed service to 36,000 unserved homes and businesses across 13 Central Virginia counties, with 4,000 miles of fiber and $33.5 million in local matching funds. Goochland’s broadband page now says the larger buildout covers more than 45,000 locations, 112,000 Virginians and 5,000 miles of fiber, with an estimated total cost of $330 million.

In a Jan. 6 broadband report, Goochland said RISE had been split into 15 service zones, with nine already complete and in service. The county said middle-mile fiber construction and splicing were finished in the remaining six areas, including Crozier and Covington, and that last-mile work was expected in Riddles Bridge, Crozier and Covington in the coming months. Earlier updates said about 100 miles of fiber had been built in two Goochland project areas, reaching more than 700 passings with over $3.5 million invested. For households still waiting, the April 27 town hall is the clearest next step toward getting connected.