Firefly Celebrates Project Milestones: 40,000 total connections; 95% connectivity in Louisa County
Palmyra, Virginia —Firefly Fiber Broadband, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Central Virginia Electric Cooperative (CVEC), is thrilled to announce a major milestone: 40,000 fiber broadband connections now serve homes and businesses across central Virginia. This achievement marks a significant step forward in Firefly’s mission to transform lives and connect communities.
To commemorate the occasion, Firefly hosted a celebratory press event at the Alan Jackson Theatre in Louisa County High School. Louisa County was chosen as the event site to spotlight the community’s vital role in Firefly’s expansion efforts and its commitment to broadband accessibility. The event also celebrated several partner milestones: Louisa County reached 10,000 active Firefly connections and 95% connectivity countywide, Dominion Energy Virginia celebrated 2,000 connections, and Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) marked 10,000 connections through its collaboration with Firefly.
Launched in 2021, Firefly’s Regional Internet Service Expansion (RISE) Project aims to extend broadband service beyond CVEC’s territory into underserved areas of 13 counties: Albemarle, Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, and Powhatan. Through strategic partnerships with REC, Dominion Energy Virginia, and local county leadership, the RISE Project is on track to bring high-speed internet to more than 70,000 locations.
The event welcomed a diverse group of attendees, including project partners, board members, county, state, and federal officials—all of whom have played a crucial role in reaching this milestone.
Gary Wood, Firefly’s President & CEO said, “Today at Firefly we are excited to announce that with the help of our partners, we have reached the milestone of 40,000 active accounts. That number includes more than 10,000 locations we have connected in Louisa. It includes over 10,000 locations on the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative electric lines that are connected. We have blinking laser lights flashing through 8,000 miles of fiber spanning the central Virginia countryside. We have built a state-of-the-art network which makes service available to 75,000 locations today and which will serve generations in central Virginia.”
Firefly remains committed to expanding its reach and delivering world-class broadband service to rural Virginians. As the RISE Project progresses, more communities will gain access to the digital tools necessary for education, healthcare, business, and everyday life. “While we are highlighting the milestone of 40,000 today, we are not celebrating completion,” says Wood. “There is much more to be done. There are thousands of connections still to be made to get to all of those preregistered across the Firefly footprint.”
For more information about Firefly Fiber Broadband and its services, please visit fireflyva.com.
