Broadband has been one of the biggest promises for rural Virginia, but in Bedford County, that promise is now facing delays. County officials say their $20 million expansion project with RiverStreet Networks is behind schedule, leaving thousands of residents waiting longer for high-speed internet.
“The first response was surprise,” said Robert Hiss, Bedford County Administrator. “We had no indication that this was going to happen. We were informed from citizens calling our offices wanting to know where RiverStreet was.”
The project launched in 2022 under a three-year contract to bring high-speed internet to more than 3,000 homes and businesses in Bedford County. The deadline for completion was October of this year, but RiverStreet recently received a state-approved extension through June 2026.
“But Bedford County has an agreement with River Street and technically speaking, we’ve not approved that extension,” Hiss said.
Currently, about half of the project area, primarily in Huddleston, New London, and around Leesville Lake, remains without high-speed internet. In a statement to 10 News, RiverStreet told 10 News the delays are due to a railroad-crossing permit, changes to federal grant rules, and newly added large-scale projects that stretched their resources.
“RiverStreet factored in new opportunities for large grants,” Mike Meinel, RiverStreet’s Vice President of Marketing, said in a statement to 10 News. “This necessitated reevaluating and expanding the VA Build project due to its growth and the size of our current construction efforts. This effort was to benefit the counties by extending fiber to many more citizens.”
RiverStreet added that it is still waiting for a third-party to approve the railroad-crossing work. The company said once cleared, its crews can quickly connect nearly 700 additional locations.
Bedford County leaders say they want the project completed in a timely manner, before next year.
“Our citizens have been waiting for a number of years for broadband,” Hiss said. “Waiting another nine months, we don’t believe is necessary. We’re doing our best as a county organization to encourage RiverStreet to complete their project prior to next June.”
“My daughter uses the internet for her Chromebook and her homework,” said Bedford resident Allyson Dehart. “We have to have internet.”