April 2021 Fiber Construction Update

Spring is here and everything is starting to bloom and come back to life in our region. The birds are singing and our fiber crews have been humming along with broadband service expansion across our many project areas on the schedule for 2021.

We continue construction activity within our electric service including right-of-way clearing, pole replacements and pulling fiber in areas where the construction process is already underway and for future build areas. Do you know what is involved with the construction process? There are many parts to the process, so when we say “construction is underway” we are referring to the entire construction process.

Once our contractors complete physical data collection of eligible service addresses, we then move into a project design phase. Once the design is complete, the construction process begins including right-of-way (ROW) clearing and make ready construction which can include pole and equipment replacements existing in the field. After the make ready construction is complete, mainline fiber construction begins, which can take 2-3 months for a specific project area. From there, crews splice fiber to activate it and then test the line to ensure it is working properly. Once all of this is complete, crews build a fiber drop to your premise and notify our customer service team who then contacts consumers to schedule an in-home installation for service.

Below is a chart with our 2021 fiber project areas listed with their construction status. While construction is still going on in your area, be sure to take advantage of our “free service drop” promotion if you live in an eligible area. You can do this online by visiting our website http://shop.barcconnects.net or calling 800-846-2272 and one of our Customer Service team members will be happy to assist you. Terms and conditions apply – see our website for details.

We also want to provide you with some information on future construction areas for 2022 and 2023 in the chart below:

Fiber construction began the week of April 26th for the ARC fiber project in the Town of Goshen. We encourage all residents and businesses to sign up for service now so we can have you in our queue as construction is completed. Additionally, work in Rockbridge County continues on the Effinger/Glasgow circuit and on the South Buffalo circuit. Consumers with eligible addresses should have received information on how to sign up for service. You can always check our website https://www.barcconnects.net to see if your address is eligible for service by selecting “Sign Up Today”.

If you have any questions or concerns about the project, our crews, or anything related to BARC services, please contact us at 800-846-2272 or via email at support@barcconnects.net. You can always stay up to date on our progress by visiting https://www.barcconnects.net/news or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BARCElectricCooperative

Our mission remains to improve the quality of life in our communities. Stay tuned as we add more areas to the project schedule in 2023 and beyond!