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Hanover County’s $55M broadband build nears the finish line
May 22, 2026
Connect Hanover has brought internet access to more than 1,800 homes despite initial delays.
Hanover County’s goal to bring broadband internet to its remote regions faced multiple delays over the project’s four-year lifespan, but over the past several months, more than 1,800 homes have access to new internet service providers through the Connect Hanover initiative.
Todd Kilduff, deputy county administrator, gave Hanover supervisors an update on the initiative Wednesday, as officials said the project is on track to install over 550 miles of fiber optic wiring and bring internet service to thousands by the end of the year.
“We’re still getting calls from citizens with random issues here and there that we’re working through, but we’re making those home connections as we speak,” Kilduff said to supervisors Wednesday.
Brightspeed and All Points Broadband, the internet service providers tasked with installing the necessary infrastructure, have made it to 6,198 total homes as of May 13. Although these homes now have access to a provider, most haven’t signed up for new services.
“Basically out of all the homes they pass, only about 30% are actually saying ‘I would like to have the service with them,’” Kilduff said. “We’re encouraging them to do so, because right now it’s free to get those connections to run to your house.”
The $55 million broadband access project broke ground in November 2024. An initial $14 million in grant funding came from the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative under former Gov. Ralph Northam and the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program.
US Rep. Rob Wittman (R–1st) visited Hanover last week, observing the ongoing broadband development alongside Cold Harbor Supervisor Michael Herzberg and technicians from All Points as they went door-to-door installing miles of fiber in Eastern Hanover.
In a statement, Wittman told VPM News that addressing the challenges to broadband expansion in unserved areas and developing innovative solutions that bridge the digital divide between urban and rural America remain among his top priorities.
“I will continue working with local leaders to ensure that Virginians have access to the connectivity they need, no matter their ZIP code,” Wittman said.
“We’re still getting calls from citizens with random issues here and there that we’re working through, but we’re making those home connections as we speak,”
Todd Kilduff
Deputy Hanover County Administrator
Several challenges have prolonged the project’s completion, including inclement weather, access to private roads and easements, utility infrastructure damage and delays from the state.
Over the project’s lifespan, new benchmarks for high-speed internet access were set by the Federal Communications Commission, which also affected the county’s plans.
The county has seven months remaining to complete the project or risk losing its initial $14 million from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, according to Kilduff. The county previously requested an extension in order to meet DHCD’s deadline.
Kilduff expressed confidence that DHCD has signed off on the county’s remaining contracts and the project will be complete before the Dec. 31 deadline. He said the most difficult part of meeting the county’s goal will be accessing private property and connecting with residents willing to expedite the process.
“We’ve been lucky getting a lot of these easements to private road areas,” Kilduff said. “Every once in a while, we’ll find somebody that’s willing to go with us and knock on their neighbors’ doors, and that’s really helped us.”
Kilduff said DCHD is also in the progress of creating its own website that citizens can go to for up-to-date information on the project.
