County of Bedford, Virginia

The Bedford County Board of Supervisors has a continued commitment to bring broadband internet to all areas of Bedford County. There are numerous projects and expansions underway across the county.

Watch a video message about progress made as of June 2024.

The four largest contracts with ZiTel, Shentel (Project 1 and 2), and Riverstreet Networks were made possible with grants from the Department of Housing and Community Development's Virginia Telecommunication Initiative. Verizon is also completing a smaller contract in the Big Island/Wheats Valley communities. (Note: Approximately 1,500 Shentel addresses were transferred to ZiTel in early 2024 as part of a contractual rescope. Learn more here.)

There is a private expansion underway in the Forest/New London communities. Lumos is expanding its footprint in those areas.

The Bedford County Broadband Authority Authority and Board was established in 2009 to provide qualifying communications services as authorized by the Virginia Wireless Service Authorities Act and Article 5.1 (56-484.7:1 et seq.) of Chapter 15 of Title 56 of the Code of Virginia. The Broadband Authority Board must have seven members. Currently, Bedford County's seven Supervisors serve in these roles. All Broadband Authority business is conducted in public meetings.

Bedford County is under contract with three internet service providers (ISPs) to bring broadband internet to areas of the county with little to no internet access: ZiTel, Shentel and RiverStreet Networks.

These contracts were made possible by more than $25 million in grants from the Department of Housing and Community Development's Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI). Approximately 12,000 homes or businesses in the county were identified as needing new or improved internet access.

According to DHCD guidelines and contract requirements, below are the timelines for the three ISPs that are part of the VATI grant project. These are project maximums, which means this is the longest amount of time each respective project would take to complete from start to finish. Some residents and businesses will be connected well before these deadlines.

• ZiTel - Contract end date of March 2025
• Shentel Project 1 - Contract end date of Sept. 2025*
• Shentel Project 2 (Cifax/Sedalia area) - Contract end date of July 2025
• RiverStreet Networks - Contract end date of Sept. 2025
• Verizon - Contract completed March 2024

View and search our Broadband Lookup Tool to see if your address is a part of one of these VATI grant projects. (Note: expansions with Verizon or Lumos are NOT included in this map. Contact those ISPs to see if your address will be connected to broadband in the future.)

*Approximately 1,500 Shentel addresses were transferred to ZiTel in early 2024 as part of a contractual rescope. Learn more here.

2024

• "A long time coming": Fiber broadband project breaks ground in Huddleston - News & Advance, March 21, 2024
• Construction begins for high-speed broadband coming to areas of Bedford County - WSET, March 19, 2024
• Verizon Fios internet now available in Big Island & Wheats Valley communities - WFXR, March 18, 2024

2023

• "Multi-million dollar Broadband project coming to Bedford County" - WSLS, March 27, 2023 
• "Bedford County Broadband expansion Project Begins" - WFXR, March 23, 2023
• "Verizon to expand high-speed broadband to rural households in Bedford County" - Yahoo! Finance, March 23, 2023
• "Gov. Youngkin announces $1.37 million for broadband internet access in Bedford County" - WSET
• "Internet providers give progress on Bedford broadband work" - News & Advance

2022

• "Lumos to Make a Technology Infrastructure Investment of More Than $20M to Bring 100% Fiber-Optic Internet to the Lynchburg, Virginia region" - Business Wire, October 18, 2022
• "Broadband expansion continues tin Bedford Co. communities with Verizon partnership" - WSET, March 23, 2023
• "Bedford County Expanding Broadband Internet Access" - WDBJ, Aug. 17, 2022
• "New step forward for broadband in Bedford County" - WSLS, Aug. 17, 2022
• "Sen. Mark Warner discusses importance of broadband in rural areas during Bedford County visit" - WSLS, April 13 2022 
• "Sen. Mark Warner, Bedford County officials, talk broadband expansion" - WDBJ, April 13, 2022 
• "Bedford County broadband initiative moves forward" - News and Advance, May 11, 2022
• "'It's been a long time coming': Bedford County approves multi-million dollar broadband contract" - WSET, May 12, 2022
• "Making Broadband Progress" - Bedford Bulletin, May 18, 2022

2021

• "Va. invests $722M in broadband coverage" - Virginia Business, Dec. 15, 2021

Watch our video message about progress made in the Broadband Initiative as of June 2024. 

The Department of Housing and Community Development's broadband initiatives foster strong, competitive communities by preparing them to build, utilize and capitalize on telecommunications infrastructure. Learn more.

The Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) extends broadband service to currently unserved areas. VATI prepares communications to build, utilize, and capitalize on telecommunications infrastructure with the goal of creating strong, competitive communities. Learn more about VATI and also view their project dashboard here.

Commonwealth Connect is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s comprehensive effort to achieve universal broadband access. The Commonwealth Connect webpage provides an overview of ongoing efforts to expand broadband access and promotes resources that will help local leaders expand broadband infrastructure in their communities. Learn more.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), located within the Department of Commerce, is the Executive Branch agency that is principally responsible by law for advising the President on telecommunications and information policy issues. Learn more.