All Points Broadband (APB) is currently still on schedule for substantial completion within the contract period ending in July of 2025. They are furthest ahead in the southern end of the project area, specifically Augusta County, with tens of thousands of pole attachments evaluated and permitted. Work in the northern valley is focused on engineering, fielding, and make-ready for pole attachments. Large, contracted teams from Timmons and other subcontractors are performing the fieldwork evaluating utility poles for their suitability. They are focusing their efforts on stockpiling equipment and getting large chunks of the system permitted prior to sending construction contractors into the field so that when they pull the trigger on construction it can proceed quickly, without interruptions due to permitting, pole make-ready, supply chain, etc.
The contract is structured as a performance-based reimbursement with deliverables skewed heavily toward construction end-user service delivery milestones, so APB has carried the entire project on its books thus far, with no requested reimbursements as of yet. However, we expect to reach that stage soon in several areas.
APB presented a progress update to the Frederick County Board of Supervisors in late September, and they’re scheduled to visit Clarke later this month. We’ve also ramped up internal communication among project partners recently with one-on-one calls to each county at least quarterly. I understand they have identified a location within the region and are in negotiations to establish a strategic physical presence within the region, likely in Warren County. They already have a second location established in Rockingham County.
The state just released its list of “unserved and underserved” locations that are believed to be eligible for the new Federal BEAD funding. APB’s engineers are working to evaluate that new state data against our existing project locations to identify outliers, any properties that are eligible under the new program rules, or properties that have come into existence since our application development.
