BRISCNET: Bedford County High-Speed Internet Project Nearly Complete

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va., Nov. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BRISCNET, the provider of state-of-the-art, high-speed internet services for Central and Southwest Virginia, has nearly completed its installation of equipment that will extend high-speed internet access to the underserved areas of Bedford County chosen by the county's Board of Supervisors and Broadband Authority, with the advisement of the county's Broadband Advisory Committee. 

BRISCNET has now completed installation of its equipment on 10 of the 12 sites specified by the county, and is making service available from each of these sites. Though BRISCNET has faced a number of technical challenges in gaining access to the 12^th and final site, these technical challenges appear to have been resolved, and the company is beginning the installation process at this location.

Completion of the installation of equipment at these 12 sites represents the first phase of Bedford County's broadband plan that it directed BRISCNET to undertake. Phase Two, as originally planned by the county and BRISCNET, would extend broadband to neighborhoods and harder-to-reach locations throughout Bedford County that were not included in the Phase One plan.

To further enhance the services that BRISCNET delivers to Bedford County, the company, together with its financial partner Radius Capital, recently competed in an auction sponsored by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to purchase licenses to expand the capacity and increase the transmission speeds of its broadband services. BRISCNET won licenses to provide service in counties across Virginia, including in Bedford County.

"We have installed 97% of this initial project to deliver much-needed broadband to the unserved and underserved areas of Bedford County, and we just received the go-ahead to complete the final site," said John Manning, COO of BRISCNET. "Our network is now a highly capable foundation for high-speed internet services in Bedford County, and our newly won FCC licenses give us expanded network capabilities and resiliency not contemplated in the county's original broadband plan. Once we meet the pent-up demand in the areas covered by this first-phase network, we hope to have the opportunity to extend service to more families and businesses in Bedford County that need high-speed internet access."

"Strengthening rural broadband infrastructure is a critical prerequisite for all Bedford County residents to work remotely and participate in the modern digital economy, especially in light of the Covid-19 pandemic," said Anthony Smith, CEO of BRISCNET. "Building this infrastructure will allow faster, reliable access to the internet for remote work and hiring, distance learning, agriculture, telehealth, e-commerce, entertainment, and more. As a local company based in Roanoke, we are pleased to be able to make this contribution to our local community."

Click here to join BRISCNET's VIP waitlist to receive updates and special offers as the company continues to work towards building a better high-speed Internet service. This waitlist also covers Franklin and Botetourt counties. For more information, here is a list of FAQ's about the project: www.bedfordcountybroadband.com.

About BRISCNET
BRISCNET provides high-speed internet to rural communities in Central and Southwest Virginia. The company's mission of equitable access to educational and employment opportunities provided by the internet is a guiding principle of founder Anthony Smith. Radius Capital is the funding partner for the Bedford County, VA project.

BRISCNET Media Contact:
Danielle Stemper
Resound Marketing for BRISCNET
[email protected]

BRISCNET Customer Service Contacts:
Diana Swayze
[email protected]
Nicole Calhoun
[email protected]
Phone: 540-595-7060

SOURCE BRISCNET