My quick math on the total value of the contracts for the Richmond-based All Points Broadband to provide broadband internet service to customers in rural areas in the state has the number at $800 million, give or take.
Observation: that’s a lot of money.
Given that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow funding all the digging is coming from local, state and federal tax dollars, you’d think the people in charge of basic things like permitting could be more on board with the company, which, along with local leaders in several Virginia counties, is facing significant pushback from frustrated potential rural customers for delays in the rollout.
We wrote last week about delays in Augusta County. Our look into APB was initiated by a reader who told us he signed up for service in the Mount Sidney area on April 2, but can’t get an answer on when the service will actually be available outside of “in a week or so.”
ICYMI
These kinds of issues seem common across rural Virginia – and actually, our friends across the mountains over in Culpeper County ended up terminating their contract with All Points Broadband last year, citing continued frustrations with delays that resulted in literally one home in the county being able to connect to APB broadband.
One county leader posted on his socials about that decision: “Whenever you are in a truly toxic relationship with a company that does not believe performing is critical, get out.”
Culpeper County moved later in 2025 to partner with the Orange County-based FiberLync as its new broadband partner.
At last check, things seem to be progressing fine with FiberLync, which was established in 2016 and is owned and operated by the Orange County Broadband Authority, which itself was created by the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
FiberLync serves rural customers in Albemarle County, Madison County and Spotsylvania County – basically, areas adjacent to Orange County.
That sorta, kinda home-field advantage is probably a benefit to the efforts of FiberLync there.
I’m seeing folks in two other rural counties noting their own struggles with the broadband rollout from All Points Broadband: in Rappahannock County and in Loudoun County.
The latest from Rappahannock County is that in the area of 200 properties are currently able to sign up for APB internet service, out of the roughly 1,500 homes and businesses in the target market, with one county leader stating the obvious, that the “200 number is a little concerning to me.”
In Loudoun County, a July 1 update on the county website notes that nearly 800 addresses among the 8,600 in the target market in the county.
APB officials have cited issues with obtaining easements and VDOT permitting, leading to lags in last-mile connections.
Outside looking in, these kinds of issues should have been factored into the project timelines, which in turn would have given local leaders in rural localities something else to consider when signing on, either with APB or another broadband provider.
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Chris Graham
