DENVER, Colo. (February 23, 2022) – Magellan Advisors (Magellan), a leader in providing turnkey services for building fiber and broadband networks, has been selected by EMPOWER Broadband, Inc. (EMPOWER) to design and manage construction of its broadband network. The $154 million project will serve Halifax, Mecklenburg, southern Brunswick and southern Charlotte counties in Virginia and will result in broadband service accessibility to more than 14,000 homes and businesses.

Under the agreement, the EMPOWER and Magellan teams are designing more than 30 construction zones across the counties. Once complete, a Request for Proposal process will solicit bids from construction companies to build each zone, which will be managed by Magellan, including end-to-end fiber plant construction, splicing, termination and testing. Work is expected to take place in all four counties concurrently, beginning in areas closest to where EMPOWER has existing fiber infrastructure.

“Magellan is highly experienced in every aspect of designing, building and managing fiber broadband networks,” says EMPOWER CEO and President John C. Lee Jr. “That depth of knowledge will ensure this project is completed efficiently and provides the highest quality fiber broadband network for our residents, businesses and communities.”

“We are honored to have been selected for this project and congratulate EMPOWER on its foresight to improve the lives of its members by recognizing reliable, affordable broadband must be a required utility,” says Magellan President and Chief Executive Officer John Honker. “It is the bridge to a better future and is the foundational building block for economic development, education, healthcare and a better future for all with access. Having connected more than one million homes and thousands of businesses and institutions across the United States with broadband infrastructure, Magellan remains committed to working with our partners and clients on achieving access for everyone.”

EMPOWER plans to lay out a construction schedule and timeline so residents are aware as early as possible to impacts in their areas. The timetable is expected in May with construction beginning in June.

About EMPOWER Broadband

EMPOWER Broadband, Inc., a subsidiary of Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative, provides middle-mile capacity, retail high-speed internet service, as well as voice over IP telephony, and high-speed data services to over 4,000 accounts in the cooperative’s service territory in Southside Virginia and northern North Carolina. For more information, please visit www.empowermec.net.

About Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative

Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative (MEC) proudly powers over 31,000 homes, farms and businesses in the counties of Brunswick, Charlotte, Greensville, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Pittsylvania, Southampton, and Sussex in Virginia and portions of Granville, Northampton, Person, Vance, and Warren counties in North Carolina.  It is headquartered in Chase City and has district offices in Chase City, Va.; Emporia, Va.; Gretna, Va. For more information, please visit www.meckelec.org.

About Magellan Advisors

Magellan Advisors provides planning, engineering, grant development, implementation and management of the fastest, most technologically advanced fiber and broadband networks.

Our mission is to connect every community, one at a time, to the digital economy so that no one is left behind. Our goal is to find practical broadband and technology solutions that our clients can implement in their communities. Through Magellan’s services, more than $1 billion in new broadband investments has connected more than 1,000 schools, hospitals, libraries and governments and passed nearly 1 million homes with fiber-optic broadband. Learn more at www.magellan-advisors.com. 

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