CALL US - (888) 217-7827

Dominion Energy Virginia and All Points Broadband Announce Expansion of Regional Fiber-to-the-Home Broadband Initiative into Lancaster and Middlesex Counties

RICHMOND, Va. – Dominion Energy Virginia and All Points Broadband announced today that they have entered into Memorandums of Understanding to expand their regional fiber-to-the-home broadband initiative to include unserved areas in Lancaster and Middlesex Counties. The Lancaster County Broadband Authority and Middlesex County Broadband Authority have each executed agreements with Dominion Energy and All Points to add all currently unserved areas of their respective counties to the growing fiber-to-the-home network that All Points is building in partnership with Dominion Energy, subject to regulatory approvals.

“This expansion shows how the partnership between Dominion Energy and All Points continues to prove a successful model to deliver fiber-to-the-home broadband to currently unserved homes and business in Virginia,” said Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia. “Today’s announcement begins the process of delivering critical infrastructure to thousands of additional Virginians in two more partner jurisdictions. Dominion Energy is proud to play an important role in making broadband available in Virginia.”

“Delivering fiber-optic broadband to currently unserved areas requires unique partnerships and new business models,” said Jimmy Carr, Chief Executive Officer of All Points Broadband. “Working with Dominion Energy through Virginia’s supportive regulatory framework for broadband expansion, and other electric utility partners like the Northern Neck Electric Cooperative, the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative, and the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, All Points has pioneered a new approach to finally bridge Virginia’s digital divide. We are excited to begin work in Lancaster and Middlesex and plan to continue growing our footprint through additional partnerships with more counties.”

In a joint statement, Senator Ryan McDougle and Delegates Keith Hodges and Margaret Ransone said: “We are thrilled to see this partnership between All Points Broadband and Dominion Energy on the Northern Neck expand to Lancaster and Middlesex counties. Broadband access is critical to quality of life and economic prosperity, and projects like this will help move our region forward as we all work to bridge the digital divide.”

“The Lancaster County Broadband Authority’s goal is for all citizens of Lancaster County to have access to reliable, affordable and equitable high-speed broadband.  It is imperative that no citizen of Lancaster County, or the County itself, be marginalized because of the digital divide”, said Authority Chair Cassie Thompson.  “Joining this regional initiative will help make that objective a reality with the deployment of fiber to the home for approximately 2,700 homes.”

“The Middlesex County Broadband Authority is excited to partner with All Points and Dominion Energy to begin the process of extending fiber-to-the-home to our unserved residents,” said John B. Koontz, Jr., Vice Chairman of the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors and Chairman of the Middlesex County Broadband Authority. “Broadband access is an essential utility and today’s announcement is a game-changing step forward for our county.”

As it moves forward with efforts to modernize Virginia’s energy grid, Dominion Energy Virginia is working to provide “middle-mile” fiber optic cable infrastructure that can also be used to bridge the digital divide and reduce broadband deployment obstacles for internet service providers (ISPs). All Points will lease the “middle-mile” fiber installed by Dominion Energy Virginia and will be the internet service provider for the partnership.

Under the agreements announced today, Dominion Energy Virginia and All Points will develop network plans to be submitted to the State Corporation Commission for approval and All Points will coordinate with the counties to extend last-mile, fiber-optic broadband access to currently unserved areas.

Dominion Energy Virginia is actively working to create partnerships with ISPs to reach localities in its electric service area without high-speed internet access. These partnerships are made possible under a pilot program enacted by legislation in 2018 and made permanent during the 2021 General Assembly session which enables and encourages collaboration between electric utilities, ISPs and localities to provide internet service to unserved areas. The Company has announced partnerships to provide middle-mile broadband infrastructure in Botetourt, Culpeper, King William, Louisa, and Surry Counties; on Virginia’s Northern Neck in the counties of King George, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland; and for the Pamunkey Indian Reservation. These projects are expected to bring internet access to thousands of customers, subject to regulatory approvals.

* * *

About Dominion Energy

More than 7 million customers in 16 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable and safe energy and to achieving net zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions from its power generation and gas infrastructure operations by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more.

About All Points Broadband

All Points Broadband empowers communities by bringing utility grade broadband to underserved markets, deploying fiber and state-of-the-art fixed-wireless technology to homes and businesses in communities throughout Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky, and is focused on leveraging partnerships with electric utilities and underserved jurisdictions to deliver fiber-to-the-home broadband access to unserved homes and businesses. Since October of 2020, All Points has secured more than $51 million in state and federal grants, and stakeholder partner contributions, to deploy broadband networks in its partner communities. More information is available at fiber.allpointsbroadband.com.

Media contacts:

All Points media contact: Jimmy Carr, [email protected]

Dominion Energy media contact: Samantha Moore, [email protected]; 804-771-6115