Loudoun County Communications Commission Meeting - September 28, 2026

The Loudoun County Communications Commission met on September 28, 2026, at 7:03 PM in the Dulles Room of the Loudoun County Government Center. Seven members were present, establishing a quorum. The meeting focused on Verizon's copper replacement program, the Commission's annual update and direction from the Board of Supervisors, and an update on the All Points/BATTI broadband project.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the agenda as presented without changes.
• Approved the July 27, 2026, meeting minutes as drafted.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public signed up for comment.

Discussion Items

• Verizon Copper Replacement Program: Matt Ogburn, Director of Government Affairs for Verizon in Virginia, presented an overview of the FCC-mandated copper discontinuation process. Approximately 6,500 copper customers in Loudoun County received notices in August. Migration to alternative services (fiber or wireless) will only occur if a viable alternative exists; customers without alternatives will retain copper lines. Alternatives listed include Cox, Comcast, Spectrum, Chantel, Breeze Line, AT&T, and T-Mobile, but not All Points. Pricing will be "comparable" (roughly $20–$40/month). Battery backups are available for power outages. Commissioners raised concerns about public confusion over hard dates in letters, 911 readiness in power outages, and the exclusion of All Points from the alternative list.
• Commission Annual Update and Board Direction: The Commission's annual report was presented to the Board of Supervisors on September 15 but was moved to the consent agenda due to a data center discussion overload. The Board recommended that the Communications Commission focus on cross-commission collaboration in 2027, rather than expanding its charter. Commissioners expressed disappointment at the lack of direct dialogue but agreed to proceed. Initial target commissions for collaboration include EDAC, EDA, REDC, zoning, and planning. Homework assignments were given: each commissioner will identify additional commissions, research current projects for low-hanging fruit, and draft introductory letters. Dave volunteered to draft initial communications.
• VATI Broadband Update: Dave (from DIT) provided an update: Over 2,500 addresses are now in the marketing phase, with ~600 signed up and ~200 active customers. 147 miles of fiber have been completed. ARPA funds are fully spent by the county; DHCD has ~$7 million remaining. The construction timeline extends into 2027, but the contract extension only covers end of 2026 to avoid Treasury red flags. Commissioners raised concerns about vague updates (missing street names and detailed maps) and the repeated extensions. Dave noted that DHCD did not coordinate with utility partners (e.g., NOVEC, VDOT) which contributed to delays. All Points is not listed as a Verizon alternative, but customers can port numbers to All Points IP phone service.

Key Outcomes

• The Commission adopted the agenda and minutes.
• The Commission will pursue cross-commission collaboration as recommended by the Board of Supervisors. Three action items were created: (1) each member reviews the list of county advisory boards/commissions for additional targets beyond the initial five; (2) research current projects for easy engagement; (3) Dave will draft introductory letters to the five initial targets.
• The next regular meeting is scheduled for October 26, 2026; the November/December meeting will likely be combined in early December.