Progress Report August 1, 2024

The backbone fiber buildout of the Volt Broadband network is almost complete! At this point in the two-year process, less than 40 miles remain to be constructed in the South Franklin and Como areas. This will be followed by the splicing in of all the taps which provide the connection points for the individual customer drops that will bring the fiber cable to their home or business.

We remain very pleased with our take rates (the percentage of potential NELPCO customers choosing our service) as they consistently remain in the 50% range as we open up service in new areas. In addition, in areas such as Baskin and Log Cabin, where connections have been established for well over a year, our take rates are at the 60% mark as people continue to sign up for our service.

As we move into August, we still anticipate that some of our South Franklin areas will see service availability this month. In the Como area in Franklin and Tensas Parishes, which is our final NELPCO area to see construction, we expect services to become available later this summer to early fall. At this point in the construction process, we have placed approximately 1,765 miles of fiber optic cable and upwards of 4,000 of the taps, which are the “boxes” seen on the poles that service the drop to the customer.

We continue to work hard to fulfill the high demand for the Volt service despite the weather impacts that inevitably slow progress. The problems encountered due to weather-related incidents include falling trees and limbs taking down the fiber lines while still under construction, which cause us to have to rework the line, which, in turn, delays splicing work. We also have run across issues following construction when the fibers themselves are found to not meet specifications. These types of issues are oftentimes not visually noticeable and are only found during the testing phases. Because of that, rework and replacement of the fiber cable must be done, which can be very time-consuming and delay the installation process.

Since connecting our first customer in the early fall of 2022, there are now nearly 4,300 active Volt accounts with customers using the internet service daily! And, with nearly all of the fiber buildout in place, we continue to sign new customers up every day. Our service reviews continue to be very positive regarding both the quality of our product and the ease of installation, as well as service after installation.

We’re very pleased to bring this state-of-the-art service to all our NELPCO members, and despite initial setbacks and some unforeseen bureaucratic delays, we remain on schedule to bring fiber-to-the-home to all our NELPCO members within the initial time frame estimate. And the best news is that those who use Volt’s state-of-the-art fiber service are extremely pleased with the product. We hear from people each day how it’s been a game-changer for so many of our customers who use it for work, school, or play.

Please visit our website at www.voltbroadband.com for the latest available information, or to find out how you can sign up for this state-of-the-art service that is unique to our NELPCO membership. Our home office is located at 150 Christian Street in Rayville and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please drop by if you need more information or to sign up for the service.