OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Loudoun County Communications Commission Meeting – June 25, 2024

Commissions & Advisory Boards — Tuesday, June 25, 2024
BodyLoudoun County, Virginia
SessionCommissions & Advisory Boards
DateTuesday, June 25, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 54:14

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

We're recording now.

0:01

Yes.

0:04

Thank you.

0:10

Call the Loudon County Communication Commission meeting to order.

0:16

First order business.

0:18

Was an agenda that was sent down.

0:20

Did anybody not receive the agenda?

0:26

Seeing none.

0:30

Motion to adopt the agenda as written.

0:33

Also moved.

0:36

Second.

0:38

Okay.

0:40

Any discussion.

0:43

All the paper sign.

0:47

And yeah, as expected.

0:50

Then on to the meeting minutes of the 29th of May.

0:53

Did anybody not receive the meeting?

0:57

Any corrections?

0:58

Yes, please.

1:00

Under uh committee uh committees and projects, the first sub-bullet clear because commissioners were unanimous.

1:08

Their focus should be on wireless broadband availability of power bills or enhanced coverage.

1:13

I agree with all of that versus view shed conservation.

1:16

I don't know why that was added in.

1:25

Yeah, I mean I think yeah, I thought we talked about options, but yeah, so I'd agree with if you're gonna say unanimous, that that's incorrect uh with the view ship conservation as it's like a they're opposed.

1:37

Or commission was unanimous should be a wireless fragment availability tower builds for enhanced coverage period period view shed conservation was also considered.

1:48

Yeah, we talked about it.

1:49

Yeah, we did, definitely.

1:52

Okay.

1:52

Uh let's have that in the suggested edit.

1:59

The period and view shed conversation uh conservation was discussed.

2:04

Perfect.

2:06

Any further edits?

2:09

Okay.

2:10

Um all in favor of adopting the minutes as just all you want to try to take the motion.

2:20

Some of you want to remove that?

2:22

Second second, thank you.

2:27

Yeah, just thank you.

2:28

I wouldn't hear, so I will vote.

2:29

Oh, one obsession.

2:31

Uh yeah, thank you.

2:34

Okay, pass the admin section.

2:38

Did anybody sign up for public comments?

2:41

No.

2:42

Okay, and moving on to updates from our franchisees.

2:47

Uh Chris, you want you up first, buddy?

2:51

Thank you, sir.

2:52

Um we are going through working through all of our Lex tickets, and we are updating Chris on a weekly basis as we are getting updates.

3:00

Uh, we are also our engineering team has a meeting scheduled for later this week with your engineering team to uh finalize the upgrade for to HD on our peg channels.

3:12

And as we are entering into the hurricane season, I want to remind everyone of our Wi-Fi storm ready, our storm ready Wi-Fi system, which if you have a power outage or just the internet drops out, you switch right over to our award-winning Comcast uh cellular network that provides Wi-Fi for your house.

3:35

And I just experienced that myself last night.

3:38

Does the cable box have the cellular radio in it that it's switching to?

3:43

Yes, sir.

3:45

It's a one-time fee, or if you sign up for um monthly payments, but there's no monthly fee associated with the storm ready Wi-Fi.

3:55

Got it.

3:58

Cool.

3:59

So back to the peg.

4:01

Just a quick question on it, because I know um uh normally you'd get some questions on that.

4:06

So you're saying currently you're working with the county engineering team the pick uh HD turned on.

4:11

Is that what I heard you say?

4:13

Yes, sir, and we will be uh live in July.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Broadband Access████████████████████████████28%
Public Engagement█████████████████████████25%
Broadband██████████████████████22%
Procedural███████████11%
Meeting Management███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Data Center Development███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Loudoun County Communications Commission Meeting – June 25, 2024

The Loudoun County Communications Commission met on June 25, 2024 (agenda dated June 24, 2024; the transcript reflects a June 24 session, but the summary uses the provided date of June 25). Commissioners reviewed franchisee updates, prepared for the Board of Supervisors annual report, discussed wireless coverage challenges, and received a staff report on broadband initiatives. Key topics included the Purcellville fiber build, LEx ticket resolution, and the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) progress.

Approval of Agenda and Minutes

  • Motion to adopt the agenda as written passed without objection.
  • Meeting minutes from May 29, 2024 were approved with an amendment: changed language stating the commission was unanimous on wireless broadband and tower builds to reflect that viewshed conservation was discussed but not part of the unanimous focus. The approved wording: "Commission was unanimous: wireless broadband availability, tower builds for enhanced coverage. Viewshed conservation was also discussed."

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public signed up or offered comment.

Franchisee Updates

  • Comcast (Christopher Mulhall): Provided update on LEx tickets, reporting weekly progress. Engineering meeting scheduled with county to finalize upgrade of PEG channels to HD, live expected in July. Also upgrading backhaul equipment at 1 Harrison Street. Reminded commission of Wi-Fi Storm Ready feature (no monthly fee, uses cellular backup).
  • Verizon (Louise Anderson): Reported on Purcellville network transformation project (copper to fiber). Over 20,000 engineering work orders released; most expected completed in 2024, some into 2025. Project will lower density per franchise agreement, potentially pulling in additional homes for build obligations. Commissioners requested a map or address list of new service areas; Verizon cited proprietary concerns but noted public records may exist through permits. Discussion ensued about the need for better data on broadband footprints to measure progress and close the digital divide. Verizon agreed to coordinate with staff on providing appropriate information.

Preparation for 2024 Board of Supervisors Commission Status Report

  • Commissioners reviewed the previous 2022 report and discussed updates. Critiques: previous report was a dense wall of text; should be more visual (e.g., using PowerPoint). Commissioner relayed feedback from a board member seeking explanation for VATI delays and recommendations to accelerate progress. Goal: finalize updated report by September 2024, with virtual walkthrough before presentation to the Board. Volunteers to help with editing and mapping were identified. Commissioners cautioned about FOIA compliance when collaborating via email.

Follow-up on Wireless in Loudoun County (from May 29, 2024)

  • Commissioners shared meetings with their respective supervisors. Supervisor Brisman (Algonkian) supportive of commission involvement; two new towers planned (Dominion, Riverwood Middle) facing active opposition led by an RF engineer. Supervisor Kershner (Broad Run) expressed strong support for identifying cellular dead zones. Supervisor Saines (Sterling) reported successful tower extension at Claude Moore Rec Center with community support. A meeting with LCPS board member April Chandler noted hesitation on towers due to health concerns; commissioner proposed small technical discussion with opposition. Discussion shifted to microcells as an alternative to large towers. A commissioner volunteered to compile questions about microcell siting, permitting, and construction for staff to take to Planning and Zoning. Another noted that some HOAs have covenants prohibiting cell towers, complicating options.

Staff Report

  • LEx Ticket Franchise Statistics: 5 open tickets (3 Algonkian, 1 Ashburn, 1 Broad Run). All aesthetic issues (pedestals/doghouses) not affecting service. Horizon: zero tickets. Staff praised Comcast responsiveness.
  • Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) Update: All Points Broadband (middle-mile builder) has received 5,500 NTPs out of 13,000 (42%), 7,400 in progress, ~100 poles left for permitting. Dominion Energy reports ~50% construction complete (87 of 173 miles). Deadline for substantial completion: October 2025. Commissioners noted that after middle-mile completion, last-mile installs to homes may take 2–3 more years. All Points expects 20% initial sign-up rate; county’s metric is middle-mile build, not customer uptake. Residents have one year from availability to sign up with reduced fees.

Review of Action Items / New Business

  • No formal updates tabled; action items carried forward.
  • Discussion of annual organizational meeting – commission noted a slow start due to election cycle refresh, but goals are set for the four-year term.
  • Next meeting: July 22, 2024 (in person), will feature a detailed VATI update from All Points Broadband and Dominion Energy.
  • Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

We're recording now. Yes. Thank you. Call the Loudon County Communication Commission meeting to order. First order business. Was an agenda that was sent down. Did anybody not receive the agenda? Seeing none. Motion to adopt the agenda as written. Also moved. Second. Okay. Any discussion. All the paper sign. And yeah, as expected. Then on to the meeting minutes of the 29th of May. Did anybody not receive the meeting? Any corrections? Yes, please. Under uh committee uh committees and projects, the first sub-bullet clear because commissioners were unanimous. Their focus should be on wireless broadband availability of power bills or enhanced coverage. I agree with all of that versus view shed conservation. I don't know why that was added in. Yeah, I mean I think yeah, I thought we talked about options, but yeah, so I'd agree with if you're gonna say unanimous, that that's incorrect uh with the view ship conservation as it's like a they're opposed. Or commission was unanimous should be a wireless fragment availability tower builds for enhanced coverage period period view shed conservation was also considered. Yeah, we talked about it. Yeah, we did, definitely. Okay. Uh let's have that in the suggested edit. The period and view shed conversation uh conservation was discussed. Perfect. Any further edits? Okay. Um all in favor of adopting the minutes as just all you want to try to take the motion. Some of you want to remove that? Second second, thank you. Yeah, just thank you. I wouldn't hear, so I will vote. Oh, one obsession. Uh yeah, thank you. Okay, pass the admin section. Did anybody sign up for public comments? No. Okay, and moving on to updates from our franchisees. Uh Chris, you want you up first, buddy? Thank you, sir. Um we are going through working through all of our Lex tickets, and we are updating Chris on a weekly basis as we are getting updates. Uh, we are also our engineering team has a meeting scheduled for later this week with your engineering team to uh finalize the upgrade for to HD on our peg channels. And as we are entering into the hurricane season, I want to remind everyone of our Wi-Fi storm ready, our storm ready Wi-Fi system, which if you have a power outage or just the internet drops out, you switch right over to our award-winning Comcast uh cellular network that provides Wi-Fi for your house. And I just experienced that myself last night.

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